Days of Fifty Challenge 3
by The Sisterhood Group
Summary: The Playroom of the FSoG Sisterhood FB Group is happy to announce The Days of Fifty Challenge 3: Supernatural Theme.
1. Chapter 1

**The Playroom of the FSoG Sisterhood Facebook group presents: Days of Fifty Challenge 3**

 **Remember, anyone can participate, not just group members. New writers WELCOMED.**

***The theme is **_SUPERNATURAL_**.***

That means vampires, witches, warlocks, devils, werewolves, fairies, incubus, and succubus. Oh, and humans can be involved, of course :-)

You may pick one of the two prompts below or you may do both. The length is still around 1800 words or more.

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 **Prompt One:**

*I never believed they existed, but one is staring right at me.

 **Prompt Two:**

*I shook my head, trying to clear the image. It was my imagination. There was no way I had seen that. They were fairytales. Humans were not real.

* * *

 **Due Date: May 25th 2018**

 **First story will post June 1st 2018**

Please get in touch with Lanieloveu or Mrs. Caron for the email details. Please include in your email the prompt in which the story is based on.

 **All stories are anonymous.**

 **The writers will be revealed the day the last story posts unless the writer wishes to remain anonymous.**

 **One story entry will be posted each day.**

 **Guest Reviews are moderated**

Happy writing.


	2. Chapter 2: Author 1

**"The Maneater"**

Christian Grey was at the library doing research for his thesis. He needed to do the best business plan if he wanted that his father gives him access to his trust fund as soon as he graduated from college. Harvard library was an impressive old building with enigmatic corridors and so many levels, Christian always hid in the less busy areas of the library, he had exhausted himself studying and researching. He needed a break so he began to walk through the hallways and soon found himself lost in a section that stored very old and odd books, he had always heard people talk about weird books covered in human flesh, written in blood and other crazy things but he believed that it was just legends, myths, to make libraries less boring, out of curiosity and quite frankly to give himself a little escape from the exhausting process of his thesis. He started to look at the rare books in an oddly dark section. He looked carelessly at all the books aligned perfectly on the shelves until one book caught his attention "Spell Book" could be read on the cover of the book, it was heavy with brown leather cover and metal applications on the corners its sheets were thick and worn. Christian let out a chuckle at the ridiculous title, he entertained himself in its pages, love spells, wheater spells, dead spells. The book turned darker at every chapter until he found one dedicated to the pact with the devil. The method seemed too simple for what could be something too serious, he heard someone approaching at the table where he was sitting, the presence gave him chills but no one was there, he closed the book and hid it so no one could see him reading such literature.

For weeks Christian thought over and over about the pact with the devil. He felt ridiculous every time he let himself think about it particularly because the delivery date for his thesis was coming very soon and he couldn't let himself waste time in ridiculous tales.

One day he was particularly anxious his synod let him know that his thesis wasn't that good. He felt defeated and disheartened. Christian decided that he wanted to succeed more than anything, the afterlife will be damned, he wanted success and he wanted it now. He drove to a distant place on the outskirts of the city, parked his grey Audi at the edge of the road and stepped out of the car, he brought with him the silver dagger he had to bought days before and his notebook where he had written the strange invocation in Latin language he was sure of the pronunciation because he had googled it. Now he was standing on the center of the crossroad.

Christian slew his hand letting his blood drip to the floor while he said the spell, the wind blew strongly but that was all that happened, he was very disappointed he waited like an idiot on the road for more than an hour and nothing happened, no one came.

Furious at himself for being so juvenile he drove very fast returning to the city. He couldn't help but think that he had done something wrong so he went back to the library to check again the book but everything was right, he did everything perfectly. Defeated he went back to the loft his parents rented for him out the campus.

Christian tried to bring back his attention to his thesis but he couldn't do it. He was now laughing at the stupidity that he had done. Because of his early years, he never conceived the idea of a God because he never came when he claimed for him when the pimp was hitting his mother or burning him with cigarettes, or the idea of the devil being responsible for all the wrongs in the world, he believed that good and evil was in every human been just they leaned more for one or the other. Deep in his own thoughts about life a knock at his door startled at him _who could be at this hour?_ he thought. It was almost midnight. He checked through the peephole and he saw a dark feminine faceless figure, he blamed the fatigue for the image he was seeing and just for mere curiosity, he opened the door.

Across the threshold a very attractive woman was waiting for him to open the door The woman was tall, slender but with curves on the right places her face was so pretty as if she was made of plastic like a Barbie doll, her blond hair was short and wavy, her eyes green and intense and stared back at him in a very malicious way

"Hello Darling, may come in?" The mystery blond woman asked.

"Who are you?" He responded intrigued.

"I brought wine" Was her answer.

"Ok, but who are you?" He asked again.

She ignored him once more and let herself in, placing the bottle of wine on the table near to his couch and looked curiously around, Christian couldn't help but stare at her body which was covered by a very tight black silk jumpsuit.

"You called me" The blond said finally, she had a very dominant personality.

"What the fuck are you talking about? I'll ask one last time, who are you?" Christian asked with irritation.

She turned around and her eyes were different than before, gone were the light green eyes, now her whole eyeballs were black completely black, Christian couldn't help but jump backwards, he was scared.

"I am a maneater" She said with seductive mischief.

"A what?"

"No need to be afraid, Darling. You asked for my help and I am here in order to do so" She said kindly.

"Your help? how?...When?...Oh, MY GOD!" He felt befuddled, this clearly was not happening.

The mystery woman let out a soft chuckle "No need to call for him Darling, I am not as bad as they want you to think" said with humor.

"Is this about today at the road? Is this really happening?" His fear was audible in his voice.

"Look if you don't want my help I can just leave."

"But how?" Still perplexed.

"Look handsome, I could explain all that to you but I am the kind that goes directly to the point. I am sure that you made some research before calling me, right?"

"So, is it true? I can trade my soul for success?"

A satisfied smirk appeared on the face of the blonde bimbo "Yes, love, you can."

 **"Wow, I never believed they existed, but one is staring right at me"** Christian said for himself. "So how does it works, should I sign something with my blood or something?"

"Darling, you watch too much television" She chuckled "No, but a corporal fluid exchange is necessary, normally I would go for a french kiss, but in your case" She eyed him seductively "I prefer a good fuck, that's why I waited until now to come to you."

Christian was astounded at the audacity of this 'woman?'. She was attractive, yes, but he needed to process everything before jump into the 'signing.'

"So, you were on the road this afternoon?"

"Yes"

"You saw me there?"

"Yes"

"I was there for almost an hour..."

"Yes" She was very entertained.

"Why didn't you appeared then?"

"I already told you, I didn't want the kissing thing this time, you are a VERY good looking human being and I want to fuck you" She said as if she was talking about the weather "I even took this body" and twirled around "I saw in your mind a fantasy about a blond woman" She said in a sing-song voice. The human in front of her looked really delicious, 5 ft 10 in, muscular body, rebel copper hair, and gorgeous face adorned with furious and determined grey eyes, she had to have him.

"A fantasy with a blond?" Yes, he had fantasized about Mrs. Lincoln when he masturbated in his teenage years but he didn't find her attractive now, she was his mother's friend for fuck's sake.

He thought about it and was ready to fuck the blonde bimbo who stood in front of him but now that the image of Mrs. Lincoln was in his mind he had chills.

"So you found this body for me?" He asked boldly.

"Yes, I want this to be pleasant for you too" She said smiling seductively.

"You can have _any_ body you want?"

"Yes, and right now I want your body, over mine preferably"

This time was his turn to chuckle, he could sense the desire in the she-devil in front of him.

"You are very attractive, but a brunette would work better for me."

He expected that the bimbo was offended but instead a loud laughter explode from her.

"See, you will be a great fuck. Dark Lord! I'll be back tomorrow. Think well about it because once you decide to sign there is no return. We'll talk tomorrow about the details" She warned him and left through the door she had entered before.

Christian woke up on his couch he had fallen asleep after thinking all night if what happened really happened. He showered, dressed and run to the library to check again the book, the details where there, he will give his soul to the devil and in exchange he could negotiate everything he wanted to happen but at the end of the lapse agreed his soul will be for the demon.

The more he thought about it the more convinced he was that the only thing that mattered to him was the success at any price.

He prepared himself for the arrival of the she-demon. It was almost midnight again and once again there it was a soft knock at the door. He looked through the peephole and only a shadow was what he saw, he opened the door and was mesmerized by the beauty in front of him.

The girl who appeared at the other side of the door was angelic beautiful face, full luscious lips, bottom nose and clear violet-blue eyes, the irony was that her body was as if it was made for sin, slender frame adorned with a pair of good size breast that will fit perfectly in his hands, toned legs and round heart-shaped ass, she was wearing a ruffled off shoulder black top sans bra, he could tell at the sight of her nipples, a pair of jeans so tight that they appeared to be painted over her body, black suede ankle boots and her hair was styled in two half buns at the top of her head and the rest in messy style.

"You should see your face right now" The cute she-devil said.

"I am very impressed, this body is..." Christian circled her in a predatory way, he didn't sense her domineering this time, if anything she looked as if she was shy when he got back to look at her face, she looked flushed and her eyes suddenly became all black.

"You know that thing with your eyes is really freaking me out."

She laughed "Sorry I just can't contain my excitement. Look all the trouble I had to have to satisfy you. Are you ready to sign?"

"Whose body is this?" Christian asked curiously.

"Just a girl" Was her dismissive answer.

"Just a girl?"

"This _'just a girl'_ has a name."

The she-demon rolled her eyes "What does it matter? She is a decent girl ok, I picked her not far from here at the University, she is not a hooker or anything, I'll fuck you with her body and then she can have her pretty body back again" And she dared to wink.

Christian laughed humorlessly "You are something else."

"I am a demon, love, what did you expect. We are the bad guys, that's what we do. Now, do you want to set your terms or you gonna chicken out?" She waited for his answer when he didn't spoke she continued "So, what do you want in exchange for your soul?" the gorgeous brunette asked.

"I am a business major. What I want is to be the most successful businessman on the west coast, to begin I need to have an impressive thesis and graduate with honors, so I can have access to my trust fund. Then I will start my own business and I plan to make it grow at the double on the first six months" Christian told her enthusiastic.

"You seem pretty determined and with a very solid business plan, why do you need me?"

"I don't want to jeopardize it."

The demon in the cute brunette smiled and spoke "Ok, here is the deal, I will give you ten years of success in exchange for your soul."

"I want 20 years."

"Is not up to negotiation, 10 years take it or leave it."

Christian was not satisfied he still wanted more time "Everything can be negotiated, you'll have my soul for the eternity I want at least 20 years."

The cute brunette laugh again she liked this young man determination she had no doubt that he could make it without her help but who she was to say no a human soul like his "Ok, here is the deal, I'll give you 10 years but If I happen to like the sex I will add 5 years more and that's all, giving you a total of 15 years of a successful life as a businessman, how does that sound?"

"Sightly better, I sense that I can't pull more from you so, I agree. What are the souls for anyway?"

"I am not in liberty to say" The cute demon said with a straight face.

"Ok, so it is all arranged now?"

"We need to seal the deal" The brunette said while biting her down lip, the need was audible in her voice, this human was enticing in every way possible she couldn't explain this weird attraction, he wasn't the first handsome man she has had, but something about him was magnetic, she even bothered to find a good-looking brunette who was not street-walker, she wanted to make him as desperate for her as she was for him.

"How do you want to do it?" Christian asked.

"Christian, I want you in any way I can have you" That was the last thing she said.

She attacked his mouth while he was seated on the couch, he responded willingly, when her lips touched his he felt this sudden heat all over his body he didn't knew what to expect she was a hellish being after all but in the body of a goddess, yes a goddess who currently was kissing him fiercely.

His hands travelled to her waist where her blouse had rolled up a little, enough to let his hand feel her soft skin, his hands circled her and found her buttocks so tight that he couldn't help himself and gave her a squeeze followed by a hard spank, she let out a moan and took out her top leaving her breasts free for him to admire, so perfect, her rose nipples were like little quartz, he could swear that he saw them shine, if fact they shined after his mouth took in each one of them.

The brunette was contorting because of Christian's kisses. Christian's hand took apart her long brown hair and held her from her throat while his mouth ran from her breast to her right shoulder, her collarbone, and her ear.

She liked the way his mouth felt each kiss each blow and bite felt better than the one before, his mouth was warm, the ache between her legs was impossible to hold anymore.

As if he was the one with the power to read minds, he started to peel her off of her jeans, her lavender lace thong was drenched. He took a moment to take in her semblance, she looked so sexy naked in his living room, her porcelain skin was flawless how in the world this perfect body could be the vessel of a demon ready to take his soul to the hades, but it was already too late to take it back. They have been making out for a while so he better make the best out of it.

Christian took off her underwear while giving her blow kisses on her belly when he reached his destination started to lick and suck her pubic mound. Instinctively she parted her legs so could reach her clitoris and inner lips, she was losing balance so he made a pause and helped her to sit on the couch. He went down on his knees and parted her legs with his hands.

Christian kissed all the way on her inner thighs until he found her pussy shining from moisture. He was not gentle every suck, lick and bite were rough, he inserted his thumb and noticed how tight she was. Soon she reached her orgasm while he was finger fucking her and licking her juices.

She wanted him in her mouth, between moans she managed to tell him "I want to taste you too" and her hand looked for his jeans.

"I want to keep eating your pretty pussy" was his response. Neither of them knew how they made it, but their bodies settled on the couch.

His head was perfectly situated between her thighs and hers bobbed up and down his shaft taking in all of him. She alternate between sucking and twirling her tongue on his tip. He kept licking and finger fucking her pussy and he added a finger in her little rosy ass. He was stretching her slowly adding one finger and another one.

She couldn't wait another minute and asked him to fuck her.

"That's what I am doing" was his smart mouth response.

She hadn't time for his plays she wanted him inside of her pussy and ass, unfortunately, his human limitations only permitted once at the time. Once again as if he was capable of reading her mind, he moved quickly and positioned himself behind her while she was bent over the sofa. His dick ached to feel her wet pussy but he knew that she was as desperate for him as he was for her, therefore, he teased her with his tip for a while until his own desperation made him dip all of him in one hard thrust.

He started to fuck her roughly and she pushed her behind back at him, her back was arched, her waist looked smaller and her long brown locks looked enticing over the pale skin of her back. He took her hair and twisted it on his right arm while his left hand pulled her onto him by her waist.

They were perfectly synchronized, their cadence was like longtime lovers and not of two lusting strangers who were trading with souls.

Christian woke up on his bed, naked and with a delicious body ache. Images of the beautiful demon brunette came to his mind, he still couldn't believe the events occurred last night. There was no trace of the presence of the gorgeous woman who he had fucked the night before.

After his coffee, he convinced himself that everything was the product of his imagination. Best wet-dream ever, no doubt. Until he received a text from a strange number.

 **\- I don't know if I can wait 15 years to be with you again x -**


	3. Chapter 3: Author 2

_**Thank you Lanie Love for creating this incredible universe for us to explore our creative sides, to write without fear, and to extend our love of Fifty Shades.**_

* * *

 **The Wood Fairy:**

 _ **or What Really Happened When Charlie Tango Crashed?**_

.

Thank you for all your support.

 _._

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Thank you for reading and reviewing.


	4. Chapter 4: Author 3

**Challenge Story**

* * *

 **Into the Night**

 **APOV:**

"You think you can just walk out of this house?" he screams at me.

"I'm done; I told you last time if you hit me again I was leaving."

"Leaving?" He laughs. "Where the fuck do you think you're going to go? I have eyes everywhere, I fucking own this town and you know it. You won't be able to buy a pack of gum in this town without me knowing!"

"I don't care, I'm-"

I should have expected it, I should have prepared for it but his push catches me off guard and I tumble down the stairs. My duffel bag follows down the stairs after he kicks it, clothes spilling out of the split zipper. I'm lying on the cold, marble floor in the entryway to the house I always hated. The man I'm married to stands at the top of the stairs with a sinister look in his eyes; I know he's right. There's not a damn thing I can do in this town without him knowing. Which is why my only solution is to leave town.

"Get the fuck out of here if that's what you want," he screams. "Hell I'll give you a head start; I'll wait an hour before sending Johnny and Marco to find you and drag your sorry ass back here. Mark my words though, when they bring you back you will regret walking out that door so make sure this is what you really want."

"Oh I'm sure," I snicker. "I told you I was done being used as a punching bag."

"And if you learned how to keep your fucking mouth shut I wouldn't need to punish you."

I slowly pull myself up, nearly collapsing when I try to put weight on my ankle. I don't have to look up to see the smile on his face, I already know it's there. It's the same smile that is always there when he sees the bruises the next morning. I told him after he broke my ribs last month I was done and that if he so much as hit me again I was leaving. I made the mistake of thinking for a brief moment that he was going to change, three weeks had passed by before he even so much as raised his voice at me. All that changed earlier when I walked into his office to tell him dinner was done and interrupted a call I didn't know he was on.

"Clock is ticking Annie," he chuckles. "You have one hour; when you step foot in this house again, be prepared because I won't go easy on you. This is your only warning. You should know by now, no one leaves me….no one."

He's probably going to kill me, but right now I have to leave. I'm not staying in this house another minute and I don't give a shit who he threatens to send after me. I quickly grab the duffel bag I had packed after the last fight, wanting to have it ready because I knew this day would eventually come. I pull out a few articles of clothing and shove them in my purse. My wrist and ankle are killing me so I there's no way I can carry as much as I had packed. Plus with the zipper broken, everything would end up falling out. I pull out my sunglasses, the ones that are on nearly every time I leave the house to cover a bruise, put them on and walk out the door without looking back.

I had this grand plan of leaving when he was at work one day, but he must have caught on because suddenly he started working more from home. In fact all of his business meetings started occurring at home instead of at his office. And the few times he did have to leave for business, he left one of his associates here…just in case as he always said.

I hobble to the door, immediately regretting not changing into something warmer when the cool air hits me. I toss my purse into the car and take off into the dark night; I know I don't have much time but I need to get as far away as I can. I keep a careful watch out my rear view mirror, I have no idea if he was telling the truth about waiting an hour or if he was lying like he usually does. I can't take the risk though, I can't let Johnny and Marco catch me. If I thought I could, I would try to reason with them; hell I would bribe them if I thought I had something they wanted if it meant letting me go. There's no chance though, those guys, just like everyone else in this town, are loyal to Tony.

He has everyone in his pocket and there's no one I can trust. I learned that early on in our marriage when I confided something to a girlfriend that made its way back to him less than an hour later. That was the first time he ever slapped me; he told me I embarrassed him and needed to learn what my place was as his wife. Why the hell I stayed as long as I did is beyond me.

That's not true, I knew the reason I stayed. Because I had no one else; he slowly cut everyone out of my life, not that there were many people in it to begin with. He moved me across the country, away from the only home I knew. Well, I guess I can't say he moved me because I did go willingly; it's not like he kidnapped me and forced me to move here. Emails, phone calls and even text messages were read before they made it to my phone. He said it was to protect his business, but now I know it was because he wanted to make sure I wasn't embarrassing him any further.

I shake my head, needing to desperately focus on the dark road in front of me. I finally make it to a rest step where I park the car and quickly use the restroom. I toss the phone onto the car floor before locking the doors and walking away. I know better than to think that he doesn't know exactly where I am right now. But I also know that the only way he can track me is through the car and my phone, neither of which I plan on taking with me. I head back inside the small rest stop and quickly purchase a few bottles of water and granola bars. It's not much, but considering I'm going on foot from here I can't carry that much. I quickly use the ATM, withdrawing as much cash as I can in a day; part of me is surprised that he hasn't frozen the card yet but the other part of me knows it's because he expects Johnny and Marco to bring me back to his house soon so why bother.

I double check my purse one final time, making sure that there's nothing in it that can be tracked and then I exit the store. This time instead of heading to the parking lot, I head behind the building and into the national forest. When I came up with this grand plan to leave Tony, I figured I would drive a few hours north and then take off on foot. I figured I'd have time to stop somewhere to purchase a tent and maybe even a sleeping bag. I figured I wouldn't be limping and in pain from falling down a flight of stairs. I head into the woods, away from the rumble of the highway and civilization as I've known it. My only saving grace is that I don't need to worry about freezing to death since nights here don't get cold enough.

The woods get darker and darker the further I walk; my only source of light is the small flashlight on my keychain. Again, something I thought I would be able to purchase when I left him. I walk for hours, stopping only for brief moments when the pain in my ankle becomes too much to bear. I can't risk stopping for too long; I doubt Johnny and Marco will think I took off into the woods but incase they start heading this way I need to be as far away from the rest stop as I possibly can get. There were no cameras at the rest stop but that doesn't mean that someone there won't remember seeing a woman head behind the building and into the woods. I walk through the night and all of the next day; my legs are beyond sore, my muscles screaming from being overworked but I don't dare stop for more than a few minutes.

By the time the sun begins to set I'm seriously questioning whether or not I'll survive until I can find the next town. I have no idea where I am; I think I'm still heading north but at this point I could be heading right back to his house-

STOP

I'm smart enough to not get myself turned around; I know I'm not heading south. I'm not going back to that nightmare; not today and not ever again. I need to find shelter and rest, even if only for a few hours. I can't keep going like this, despite my fear that he's still going to find me. I need to rest my body, to give my ankle a chance to heal…at least a little bit before I start hiking again. I manage to find a small area hidden by several big boulders that I think I'll be safe near. I have a lighter and a couple packs of matches in my purse that I hid in there after Tony took me out one night at a club he owns.

I make a small fire, more for comfort than warmth, and bury myself in the small alcove hidden by the boulders. I sweater is all that covers me, but it keeps me warm enough. The fire is small and I don't think I need to worry about it getting out of hand, though I can't say I'm much of a campfire expert. If I thought this plan through better I probably would have read up on how to hunt, what berries are safe to eat or at least would have brought something to fish with. I shake my head, needing to stop doubting myself. I cringe when I slowly take off my sneaker, my ankle once again screaming in defiance. It's easily swollen twice it's natural size and the dark purple color is definitely not my normal skin tone. The pain reliever I took earlier has long worn off and really wasn't even touching the pain, but I think it was my adrenaline that kept me from feeling the amount of pain I'm in right now. I fall asleep with tears streaming down my face; I don't know how I'll get my sneaker back on in the morning or how I'll even be able to walk but I don't have a choice. I need to continue on; I need to get as far away from Tony has possible.

GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I loud growl wakes me; I'm greeted by complete darkness the fire snuffed out a long time ago. My heart is racing, beating erratically as I try to figure out what made that sound and where it came from. The darkness doesn't help; in fact it makes it worse because even if I could move I don't know what direction to move in.

 **CPOV:**

A high pitched female scream has me taking off, racing through the woods, something about her scream calling to me. I reach the area quickly and immediately see what caused the woman to scream. Based on the cries coming from the rocks, the three bears have her cornered there. They're so focused on the woman they don't hear me approach, which I use to my advantage. I charge at the first one, he goes flying across the small camp area landing against a tree. After ensuring he's not going anywhere, I move on to the other two who are now circling around me.

Good they've moved on from the girl. I don't know what it is, but there's something about her that is begging me to protect her. Even if the constant nagging wasn't there, I wouldn't be standing by watching the bears tear a human apart. But with her it's different; I feel like I don't have a choice but to save her. Something inside of me is drawn to her; the overwhelming need to protect her is like something I've never felt before. I want to look over at her, to make sure she's okay and that the cries I'm still hearing are from fear and not because these fuckers hurt her. But I can't; I need to get rid of the bears before I can check on her.

They're challenging me, but even though there's two of them, they're no match for me. Just as one is about to move a growl comes from behind me; immediately I smirk, game on. Taylor jumps out landing on one just as I jump on the other one. Neither go down as fast as their buddy did, but they had a chance to prepare whereas he was caught off guard. The girl continues to whimper and cry in the background but seems to have enough sense not to move from her spot. If she were to try to, the bears would be all over her again. She has food in her bag and they're hungry; she's no match for them.

I focus on one bear while Taylor has the other; we tumble several times, both of us swiping at each other until I manage to pin him down and clamp down on his neck. My teeth immediately penetrate his thick skin just as my paw swipes at his face. He drops to the ground, unresponsive; I pull myself off of him and am about to turn to find Taylor when the woman screams again. Before I can turn around the other bear back hands me and sends me flying across the ground. I growl, pissed off now and charge at him. Out of the corner of my eye I watch as Taylor also runs towards him. We both hit him at full force, immediately knocking him down. Taylor grabs his neck with his mouth, cutting off his air supply just until he passes out.

"I've got this one, go to her," Taylor says.

I nod and head over to where the whimpering sounds are coming from and I'm floored by what I see when I finally reach her. She's bruised, beaten and bleeding but even I know that the bears didn't do all of this to her. I can't help the growl that escapes me when I take in the full extent of her injuries. She cries out, backing herself against the boulder at her back, shaking in complete fear. I want to tell her that everything will be okay, that I won't hurt her, but she won't be able to understand me even if I tried to tell her any of that right now. Instead I slowly approach her, not able to keep myself from her.

 _Take care of her, protect her. Claim her; she's your mate._

A mate? I don't want a fucking mate! I've never believed the notion that there was one person out there for you that you were meant to be with forever. That they would be marked as your mate and no matter what you did you wouldn't be able to resist them. That you would be drawn to them, willing to risk everything for them because they make you feel things that you never thought was possible.

Yeah, that shit doesn't exist. This fucking voice in my head needs to shut the fuck up.

"What do you want to do Christian?" Taylor returns, cautiously approaching us, but apparently it's not enough because the girl once again screams out in fear only this time she passes out.

"Need to get her out of here, the bears will be back in no time," I keep an eye out for any of them to return.

"Doesn't look like she's going to be walking out of here with us," he chuckles.

"Grab some of the vines, we'll need to tie her to my back."

We get to work quickly, yanking the vines from the nearby trees; they're strong enough that they'll be able to hold her against me even if she doesn't come to right away. Actually it would probably be better if she didn't come to until we got home; right now I can't talk to her, I can't try to explain what I know she won't understand. And out here I can't shift back, it's too dangerous for both of us for me to even try to.

Once we have enough vines, I tear through the only bag I find a camp looking for a blanket to wrap around her so the vines don't scratch her but I don't find any. What the hell is she doing camping out here without basic supplies? There's no tent, no sleeping bag and not even a fucking blanket? But then I remember the bruises covering her beautiful skin.

 _She's not camping, she's running. She's running from someone who hurt her._

The need to protect her is stronger than before; I can't leave her out here, I can't leave her alone where someone can hurt her again. I can't-

"We should get going," Taylor reminds me. "We need to find a new place to meet the van-"

"Tell them to meet us at Kate's grandfather's old place," I quickly formulate a plan. "Have them pull around to the back of the barn and we'll meet them there."

"Let's get her loaded up and then I'll let them know," Taylor moves towards the woman lying on the ground.

" _Don't_ touch her," I growl. "She's mine."

"Easy man," he takes a step back. "Unless you have a way to load her on your back yourself, you're going to need to let me help you."

I growl but nod, not understanding what the fuck just came over me. I've never been possessive of a woman before, not ever.

"She have a blanket or something?" he asks.

"Nothing."

"What the fuck was she doing out here?"

"Running."

"Fuck."

We find a long sweater nearby which will have to do; my eyes don't leave Taylor as he lifts her up and over to me. The immediate sense of relief that I feel the moment her body is on me makes no sense at all. He helps adjust her before we work together to wrap the vines around both of us, tying her to me so she can't fall off. Or can't jump off if she happens to come to before I can get us home.

Home…I'm bringing her fucking home…I have no idea why. I should drop her off at a hospital and let her take care of them, but I can't.

"Let's go, Sawyer will meet us in two hours."

Taylor wraps the bag around his chest and takes off through into the woods; I quickly follow behind him the added weight of the woman on my back not slowing me down at all. This was supposed to be a quick business trip, hell we weren't even supposed to be in the woods tonight. We were supposed to drive back, but the idea of sitting in a cramped plane again nearly killed me. I hate being cooped up, especially on a plane. So instead, Taylor and I decided we would hike back to Wyoming. We shipped our clothe back, left the rental care at rest stop and took off into the woods. Running through the woods, even in the middle of the night doesn't compare to sitting on a plane next to strangers where I kid is kicking the back of your seat constantly.

I would be worried about the woman on my back, hell I should be worried about her, but I can feel her heart steadily beating against me. Every so often she whimpers and her hands wrap around my fur, but she doesn't seem to wake up which is best given the situation. Taylor and I race through the woods, wanting to put as much space between us and the bears as possible as I have no idea if they're going to wake up and try to track us. I saw Taylor pull the granola bars from her bag and leave them where we found her, so they shouldn't come after us for food.

We finally reach the old farm that Kate's grandfather used to own; it has been in her family for generations. She grew up in the home and probably would have stayed if she didn't meet Elliot; once he convinced her that she was his mate, which wasn't easy, she moved to Wyoming with him. They've leased out the land to a local farmer; at first they were renting out the house, but it makes more sense to leave it empty for situations like this when someone needs a place.

With Taylor's help, we get the woman off my back and lean her against the barn. I have to force back the growl each time Taylor touches her, even though part of me knows he's only doing it to help me. When she's settled, he immediately backs away, heading out to the driveway to keep an eye out for the van. I look over the woman before me, the woman who I can't seem to get out of my head. Her face is bruised, no doubt by someone's fists judging by the looks of them. The slashes on her hand though are likely from one of the bears, though they seem to have stopped bleeding. That doesn't stop me though, I nuzzle her injured hand, my tongue darting over the scratches in an effort to heal them. She moans and immediately I pull back, wondering what the fuck I was thinking.

"They're pulling in now," Taylor says. If I wasn't so focused on the bruised, but beautiful woman in front of me I would have known that. I would have heard the tires of the van coming down the gravel driveway.

The white cargo van quickly pulls around the back of the barn; Sawyer jumps out of the driver's seat raising his eyebrows as he takes in the woman. He doesn't ask any questions, instead just goes to the back of the van and opens the doors. Just as we manage to get her into the car, she comes to.

"What….Who….what….." she cries out, her eyes glued to me the moment I jump in the back of the van.

Taylor pounds on the wall, telling Sawyer to start moving because if we don't get out of here this woman is going to start screaming and drawing attention to us that we don't need right now. I'm dying to shift back but I think right now that might freak her out even more.

"Let me go….please let me go," she cries.

"Ma'am," Sawyer calls from the front seat. "You're safe; we're not going to hurt you-"

"I'm trapped back here with two wolves!" she screams. "They're going to tear me into a million pieces and then eat me alive!"

"I assure you that they won't do that," Sawyer has the balls to chuckle at her.

"Please….just let me go….please….I'll do anything. Did Tony send you for me?"

Who the fuck is Tony? I growl at the idea of another man touching her.

"Oh God!" she gasps.

"Ma'am I don't know who Tony is; I'm here because Christian and Taylor asked me to come and meet you here."

"Who?"

"The wolves-"

"The wolves? They told you…"

"I'm sure they'll explain everything when we get back and they can shift-"

"Shift? What are you talking about?"

"When they're in their human form-"

 **APOV:**

I've kept an eye on the two wolves throughout the entire conversation, but until now they haven't moved from the back of the van. Meanwhile I'm pressed against the wall of the van, wishing it would somehow open so I could jump out. I might even take my chances of Johnny and Marco finding me over staying in this locked van with two wolves staring at me. Well, just one of them is staring at me, the other seems to be looking back and forth between me and the other wolf.

Wait did he just say that the wolves told him to pick me up? And that the wolves would explain everything to me when they shift…when they're in their human form. Shift…so they turn from animal into a human? I've heard folk stories about shifters, but I never believed they existed and now one is staring right at me.


	5. Chapter 5: Author 4

**A Fairy's Tale**

Finally I made it to land. I left my home of Napretep Island because I am so done with everyone there. The only thing I will miss is my books. I didn't want to waste another second of being around so many fairies pretending to be my friends. But in reality, they were talking shit behind my back. I never felt like I belonged anyway. I feel like I am different from everyone.

Just because I didn't have any special powers besides my ability to fly doesn't mean I am less of a fairy, I'm just different. I also didn't have my parents with me.

When I was a baby, I was taken along with the fairies that are here away from our home of Neverland. The story goes that one fairy brought some humans to our land but no one had realized it for years. When it got out that there were humans living among us, Jack who believed that our kind should remain pure, lead an exodus that took us to Napretep.

They say the name is a reminder of the fairy that betrayed us. However, all us younger fairies believe it is a tale to keep us all on the island. None of us actually believe that humans exist. It has been just fairies here for as long as I have been alive. If humans existed, wouldn't we have seen them by now?

I was never able to get the true story of why my parents didn't join us. One time it was because they had been killed in an accident. Another they were kidnapped by the humans who had infiltrated Neverland. I never knew what to believe because anytime I would ask, the subject would immediately change.

I have now left it all behind and I am going to make it on my own until I can decide what to do. I decided to sneak away because I have noticed that there was always someone around me. Most of the time it was Jose whom I thought was my friend until last night when I overheard his conversation about me.

" _No, she doesn't suspect a thing….. She thinks I am around because we are friends. She doesn't know that I am keeping an eye out for what other powers she may have… I'll keep in touch."_

After hearing that and since I knew he was distracted I took the opportunity to sneak away. I was on the South side of the island and I took off hoping to find a place to land that could be my temporary home. It only took me about three hours to get here. I am going to rest and continue on to somewhere else tomorrow.

I don't know that anyone would actually care to look for me since no one has ever really cared for me. Growing up, I stayed with Jack who was considered the King of Napretep but he never treated me like I was his child. He treated me as if I was a burden to him. I don't know why I was not just left in Neverland but it is what it is. I learned from an early age to care for myself.

But now is not the time to think of those times. I am here at this new place and I am excited for what life has to bring me. I am hoping to discover more fairies somewhere or maybe even find Neverland again. I finally drift off to sleep in the branches of a large leafy tree with a renewed hope for my future.

xxxxxxxxxxx

This island that I have found is nothing short of a paradise. The trees and plant life seem so much greener and the fruits are juicier and sweeter than anything we had on Napretep. I have been exploring all day and I have seen no other signs of fairies around or anything other than the animals that I have seen on Napretep.

As I make it to the south end of the tiny island, I see something I have never seen before. It is a large object that is white with a large deep red triangle tethered to a pole. I can't help my curiosity as I explore the object further. On the back it has writing on it that says "The Grace". I have never heard of a Grace before but I guess this is one.

As I fly over it, I see something lying down next to base of the triangle object. He has on a white shirt and khaki shorts. His face looks like it was carved from marble. He has the most unique color hair being brown with copper highlights. My hair is a deep chocolate brown and most of the fairies on Napretep have blonde hair.

Behind his head there is a pool of red. Oh my, he's bleeding. I rush to him to see what I can do to maybe stop the blood and see if he is okay.

I turn his head and see a gash at the back but as soon as run my hand over it, it stops bleeding and closes up. You can't even tell that anything has happened. Now that I am closer. I realize that this man is not a fairy at all and I immediately fly away to hide in the grove of trees near the beach.

I shook my head, trying to clear the image. It was my imagination. There was no way I had seen that. They were fairy tales. Humans were not real.

I look back at the Grace thing and I see that he has now gotten up. I do my best to stay hidden as he is walking around and throwing things in anger. He then jumps off the side of the Grace onto the beach and he begins looking around. When he looks in my direction, I duck back behind the tree but rustle some of the leaves as I do.

"Is someone there?" His voice is unlike anything I have ever heard before. So deep and smooth, I want to hear it again but I can't let him find me.

I peek back out to see where he is now but I don't see him anywhere. I start to creep out of my hiding place to try to locate him and then I feel a jolt of electricity on my hand.

"I knew something or someone was here. Who are you? Where are we? How long have you been here?"

I am still shocked by the feeling of electricity where he is touching my hand.

"Well...can you speak?"

"I-I got here last night. I am not sure where we are exactly. Oh my name is Anastasia"

"I'm Christian." He says in his voice that I just want to listen to all the time. He let's go of my hand and then uses both of his to tell me what happened to him. "I crashed sometime yesterday afternoon. I don't exactly know when because I was out sailing by myself for once because I needed some time away. When I was trying to adjust the sail, the wind shifted and the boom hit me in the back of the head and the next thing I know I was waking up here. Where did you crash your boat?"

"I didn't. What is a boat, sail and a boom?" He squints one eye and raises the other eyebrow at my question.

He points to the Grace object. "That is my boat, actually it is a catamaran to be more precise. The boom is the pole attached to the bottom of the sail and the sail is the red piece of fabric. How did you get here if you didn't crash?"

"I flew." He lights up at the mention of me flying. I don't understand why that would make him happy. It's not like I could lift him and then we fly away.

"Oh great. Then I won't have to worry about trying to fix my boat to get us back to the mainland. We can take your helicopter. I'm assuming since this island is not big enough for a runway."

"What is a helicopter and a runway?" Now he looks mad. I swear I think I heard him growl when he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh come on. Quit with the dumb routine. How else would you have gotten here if you didn't fly a plane or a helicopter?" He is getting frustrated but so am I. I don't know of these things he's talking about so I asked.

"I'm sorry that I don't know these things. They don't exist on Napretep where I used to live and refuse to go back to. I have put up with people talking down to me and behind my back my whole life. I have always felt like I don't belong. I finally had enough so I left. Now I find this beautiful island with spectacular greenery and fruits and a jerk like you. Are all humans like you? You get angry because you get asked questions. Well Sir, I have had enough." I turn and fly off as quick as I can. I am about to turn to go into the forest when he calls out to me.

"Anastasia! Wait!" Out of sheer curiosity about the human, I stop.

He's running towards me but I have pity and go back to him because I had quickly put quite a bit of distance between us.

"What do you want Christian? You were clearly upset with me and I don't want to be around people who don't want me around."

"H-h-how did you do that? When you said you flew, I didn't think you meant you actually flew."

"Come on Christian. Now who is playing dumb. I am a fairy of course."

"No, no, no. Fairies aren't real. They are just in stories that are told to little children."

"That's where you are wrong. It is humans who aren't real and are in stories told to little children."

We both stare at each other. Not really sure what to do next. He breaks the silence.

"Obviously we have been misinformed about the existence of the other. I apologize for my comments earlier. I would like to get to know more about you Anastasia. I am fascinated by you being able to just take off and fly whenever you feel like it. For me, I have to make a call and have my helicopter readied for me and it takes too long. I would love to be able to take off on a whim." 

"I agree about being misinformed. To us, humans have been creatures that were bad and a threat to us. You don't seem to be bad or a threat at all. For some reason, I feel safe around you. I too would like to get to know more. Maybe by getting to know you and where you are from, I can gain some answers to what happened before Jack led the fairies to Napretep."

"What do you know? Because I have never heard of Napretep at all."

"When I was very young, still a baby in fairy terms. Jack had found out that one of the fairies had brought humans to Neverland and were living among us. He then got a bunch of the purist fairies on his side to try to lead a revolt but was unsuccessful. They all then left Neverland. I don't know exactly what happened with my parents. I ended up living with Jack and he made certain to remind me that he let me live with him and his family since I had no one. I don't even understand why I was taken with them."

He is looking very thoughtful. "Interesting. Well, let's see if we can fix my boat enough to get us back to Seattle, where I'm from, and then we will try to find some answers. Unless you want to go back to Napretep."

"Not at all. I would love to see, Seattle. Tell me all about it."

"I will as we get the boat ready to sail again."

He goes and gets some tools and materials as I look over his boat.

He tossed a box of tools and looked over the boat. A few minutes later he told me that we were lucky there was no damage to his boat and that the motor only had seaweed stuck around it. Instead of having to work we talked. For the next few hours, he tells me all about Seattle and how there are a lot of people there. It sounds magical with lots of buildings as well as beaches.

Listening to him talk is so comforting to me and I love how he takes any opportunity he can to touch me. I get the jolt every time and I don't mind it at all.

He is so passionate about where he is from and he seems to really listen to me when I talk. He asks questions about where I am from and doesn't get upset when I ask about things I don't know. Like what the heck is a Space Needle. I have never been around anyone that would really listen much less with as much interest as Christian has had while I talked. I am not quite sure of what I am feeling but I know I don't want it to stop and I want to be around Christian as much as possible.

After a few minutes of silence and us just staring at each other, he turns to me and asks, "Don't you have some pixie dust or something and I can think of a happy thought then we fly around together?"

It's my turn to look at him confused with my forehead wrinkled and eyes squinted.

"No fairies don't have pixie dust and I don't know what thinking a happy thought has to do with anything. I just take off." Then a thought occurs to me, maybe it will work.

"Here. Take this." I remove one of the flowers from my bracelet and attach it to a piece of string that was in with his tools. "One story that I have heard has a fairy give a human one of our magical flowers and then they can fly. Let's see if it will work."

I then tie it around his wrist and as I am finishing it off he starts to rise off the sand.

"Wow! I can't believe it! I can fly!" Just as he gets high enough off the ground for our hands to slide out of reach, he falls back to the sand landing on his ass.

"OUCH! What happened?"

"I don't know. Try again."

He rises to his feet and tries and tries to fly but all he manages to do is raise up and down on his tiptoes.

"Let me try another flower." As soon as our hands touch he begins to lift again.

"It must only work if we are touching each other." He says to me and I have to agree with him.

"Let's see what we can do."

We then take off hand in hand and fly all around the island.

"It is so beautiful up here and so freeing. You must love having this ability."

"It is something I have always known so I don't really see it as being that amazing. Although it is pretty convenient and quick to get where you want."

"Wait." He pulls on my hand to get me to stop. "Can we hover here for just a moment? I want to see the sunset from up here."

I give him a shy smile and say "sure."

We hover over the tops of the trees and watch the sun sinking down into the ocean. I have never taken the opportunity to really watch and appreciate a sunset before especially from up in the sky. As the last bit of sun dips below the water, we head back to the boat to rest before leaving early in the morning.

We land and he still holds onto my hand.

"Anastasia, thank you for that. It is the most amazing thing to ever happen in my life. I will always remember that sunset."

"You are welcome Christian. Funny enough, I have never seen a sunset like that before and I agree it is something I will never forget."

We just stare into each other's eyes and I notice the unique shade of grey that he has. There seems to be some emotion there as well but I'm not sure. I have never experienced anything like the feelings I am having when I am with him.

"Anastasia, you are so beautiful. I have never seen a creature as beautiful as you are. There is only one thing that can make this moment even more perfect."

As we still look into each other's eyes, he brings his head closer to mine making his intention known. I have seen this happen with others but I have never been kissed before. Now I am about to experience it and with a human at that.

I nod my head because it seems he is waiting for permission and then his mouth is on mine. I gasp at the intensity and with that he sticks his tongue in my mouth. It feels strange at first but then it is like my body just knows what to do and I start kissing him back.

His hands move into my hair and I mimic his actions because I do not know what to do with my hands. The kiss slows and with another quick peck on my lips we separate but still holding onto one another. It is then we notice that we are floating high above The Grace.

"That was incredible! I hope we can do that again." I exclaim

"We will. Right now we need to get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow. Unless, you think we could fly there."

"I don't want to risk getting too tired and not having anywhere to rest, so let's just take your boat. I am looking forward to that experience."

"Let's get some sleep then."

We head down into the cabin of the boat, well that's what Christian called it. He leads me to a door that he says is where I can sleep and he will be down the hall. We bid each other goodnight and I step into the room excited and nervous about what tomorrow may bring.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Thank you to ihootie for beta reading for me.**


	6. Chapter 6: Author 5

**Forever Fairy**

Ana POV

"How long are you going to be away?" Kate asks me as I finish packing. We have been roommates ever since our freshman year at King College. We are finishing up our senior year. Kate is following in her father's footsteps and going into pre-law. I think she will work towards investigative law because she is constantly sticking her nose in my business. I am majoring in Parapsychology, which falls under folklore and mythology.

I have been fascinated with the supernatural since I was a little girl. When the traveling carnival would come to town, I would watch the tarot card reader, the lady with the crystal ball, and the palm reader with complete awe. How could they know the future of each person they talked to? Was the process real? How did they reach the conclusion on each person's future? As I got older, I spent more time in the library researching for any truth to the myth of predicting the future.

"Earth to Ana!" Kate says as she breaks me out of my daydream. I shrug my shoulders, and answer truthfully, "I don't know how long I will be gone. My professor told me to use the remainder of the term to finish my research. Since this is the only class I'm currently taking, I could be gone from a few weeks to a month."

"Can you tell me where you are going in case I need to find you? What about cell phones? Will you have service there?" I sigh deeply. "Kate, I can tell you I will be west of Exeter. Professor Wades told me where to start and I will do more in depth research once I'm there. I will be staying with a family that will help me along. They are aware of what I'm looking for."

"Do they know about your powers?" I roll my eyes. "Kate, I don't have any powers." She crosses her arms and I realize this conversation needs to come to an end now or I'm never getting out of here. I take a deep breath and look into her eyes. "They know nothing about me except I'm a student and I'm coming to them for help. As far as my powers go, they have yet to be proven. I promise to be careful and I will keep in touch with you." I give her a tight hug and a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you soon Kate."

I arrive at the airport and board the plane to Exeter. The flight won't take long but it will give me time to plan my trip. When I explained to Kate where and who I would be staying with, I neglected to tell her the family was rumored to be involved in witchcraft.

My flight is quick and I grab my carryon bags and walk toward the exit of the plane. As I reach the exit of the airport, I see a tall gentleman holding a sign with my last name on it. I approach the man with a smile. "Miss Steele? My name is Taylor and I will be escorting you to the Grey estate. May I take your luggage?" I hand over my bags and thank him with a smile.

The ride takes about 30 minutes and we soon turn into a gated driveway near Doccombe. Taylor types in a code and the large metal gate opens slowly. Guess the Grey's like their privacy. The driveway is lined with beautiful trees with leaves that are starting to fall due to the cooler weather. As we approach the house, my mouth drops open. It is an old style two story brick mansion surrounded by lush trees. There is a large body of water behind the house that is also lined with trees. There doesn't appear to be another house as far as the eye can see. The sun is starting to set and it makes for a beautiful picture. Taylor stops the car and opens my door. I get out and Taylor grabs my bags and escorts me to the door.

We make our way to the door and it is opened by a beautiful middle aged woman with long blonde hair and soft green eyes. She reaches her hand out and we shake hands. "Anastasia? My name is Grace Grey. It is so nice to meet you. I have heard many wonderful things about you from Professor Wades. Please come inside, dinner is almost ready." I followed her inside and Taylor leaves my bags in the foyer. "Miss Steele, I will carry these to your room after dinner." I smile and thank him for the pleasant ride.

"Mrs. Grey, thank you for allowing me to stay here. I promise not to get in your way." She smiles and we walk toward the back of the house toward the patio. "This is a beautiful place. How long have you lived here?"

We sit down and she tells me they have lived here for 30 years. Her husband is an attorney in a small family owned practice. She is a retired pediatrician, now spending most of her time reading books and volunteering to many local charities. We talk about each of our families. I tell her I'm an only child and both of my parents are deceased. I can see sadness in her eyes when I tell her this, but I'm not sad about it. I was neglected at an early age and spent most of the time by myself. I learned how to manage on my own, and now I prefer it that way. She tells me about her children and how proud she is of them. They live close by and will most likely be coming for dinner. I hope I get an opportunity to meet them.

We talk for a while longer and the housekeeper comes out to tell us dinner is ready to be served. I follow Grace into the dining room. I see a tall, middle aged man with dark colored hair that is highlighted with gray. "Carrick, I'd like you to meet Anastasia. She is a college student that will be staying with us for a while." I shake hands with him and he smiles telling me it's a pleasure to meet me. I hear the door opening followed by a loud voice "I hope she's here. I heard she is beautiful and I'm looking forward to talking with her. Do you think she will stay a while?"

"I don't know Mia, we will have to wait and see. I should be interesting with her here. Not sure how the others will accept her," a male voice says. A third voice comes in rather rudely, "well I hope she doesn't stay long, I don't care what she looks like. It's only going to cause us problems with her being here." What an asshole! If I wasn't welcome here, why is Grace being so nice to me? Am I being set up for something dangerous? I guess only time will tell.

The three of them come into the dining room and hug their mother. "I'm glad you were able to make it. This is Anastasia. She will be staying with us for a while so please make her feel welcome," Grace says in a firm tone. Mia comes to me and shakes my hand. She is beautiful with long, dark curly hair and dark brown eyes. "Hi, I'm Mia. So nice to meet you. Maybe after dinner we can talk?" I smile and nod my head. I'm now face to face with Mr. Asshole. I offer my hand out and he only stares at me with hard gray eyes. He is a nice looking man, I'll give him that. Sculpted body, short dark wavy hair and beautiful gray eyes, but his attitude makes him ugly. "Ok, nice to meet you too." I stare back and him and then turn my attention to the other man. I offer my hand and he gladly takes it. "Hello, I'm Elliott. It's a pleasure to meet you. Don't pay attention to my brother Christian. He's always been an asshole." I laugh and tell him it's a pleasure to meet him. Elliott is tall with blond, curly hair and blue eyes.

We sit down to a nice dinner and conversation is light. Most of the questions consist of me and my plans for after college. They don't ask me what I am majoring in, so I assume they already know. That explains some of the hostility. I'm not trying to expose them, I only want to know more about it.

After dinner, Mia and I sit on the patio and talk about different things. She tells me she was adopted by the Greys at a young age. Both of her parents died in a car accident when she was 2 years old. She now goes to fashion design school and hopes to design her own clothing line. She explains that her brothers were adopted as well, and they are very protective of her. I tell her about being an only child and both of my parents being dead. I don't tell her what happened to them, but she didn't ask. I can sense that she already knows but I still don't volunteer the information. "So Ana, why are you here? Are you a reporter nosing around for a story?" I was expecting the attitude to be honest, but not from her. Guess she is getting straight to the point. "No Mia, I am not a reporter. I am a student at King College majoring in parapsychology. My professor suggested I come to visit your family to further my research. I have no plans to publish anything, this is only for my personal knowledge. I will write a paper that is required to finish my class for the semester but I have no plans to use any names. If I am causing a problem, I can leave. I was told I would be welcome here. Is that not the case?" I look her in the eyes. They go from solid black with anger to brown.

She smiles when she answers, "No Ana, it's no problem for you to be here. I just want to protect my family from the vultures. You understand, right?"

"Of course I do. Thanks for being honest with me. I don't want to cause any issues with your family. You all are very gracious in letting me stay here."

"Mia, it's time that we leave. Get your things." Mr. Personality comes in and effectively puts an end to our conversation. "It was nice to meet you Ana, hope we can talk again soon," Mia says. "Sure, I would like that. Thanks again for talking to me. Have a good evening." They say goodbye to their mother and father, then walk out of the door. There is something weird about Christian. Maybe I can figure it out while I'm here.

"Grace, would it be ok if I took a walk around your property? It is really beautiful and I didn't get a chance to see it all when we came in."

"Sure thing, Ana. Just make sure you take a flashlight. It can get pretty dark once you get back into the trees." She hands me a flash light and I start to take the path toward the back tree line.

As I am walking, I start to think about Mia her siblings. Elliott seems laid back and takes everything in stride. Mia loves to talk but is cautious about what she says. Christian is just plain evil. I wonder if he's the devil. I laugh to myself. I keep walking further back in to the trees and I feel a cold child go down my spine. I've had this feeling many times when I feel someone watching me. I turn around but don't see anyone. I continue walking and my senses are now more aware of what's around me. I hear leaves breaking and what sounds like footsteps. I stop walking and the sound stops. I close my eyes and listen for any other noise. I don't hear anything. Suddenly, I can feel a presence behind me. I don't turn around yet. I keep my eyes closed, waiting to hear something else. My heart is pounding in my chest, and my breathing has picked up. I can hear heavy breathing behind me.

I decide it's time to turn around, but when I do, I'm totally caught off guard. I never believed they actually exist, but it's right in front of me, starting intently. It appears to be half man, half animal. It is tall with facial hair and scruffy dark head hair. The upper body is also covered in hair, but the lower body is covered in clothes. His eyes bore a hole into my head. They are so dark, I can't even tell a color. I don't say anything. I just stare at what's before me. Everything that I have read and researched has stated these type of things don't exist. However, what is standing in front of me proves otherwise. I can't believe this type of thing is real. Suddenly, there are more of them around me and I don't know where they are coming from. There are about 20-25 of them that are slowly walking toward me. The one that first approached me walks closer to me and I can feel the heat coming from its body. "You are not allowed here. You need to leave and go back to where you came from. If you don't, you will risk harm coming to you. This is your last warning. LEAVE!"

I'm suddenly overcome with anger. "I have permission to be here. Why are you threatening me?" My body is getting hotter and hotter. The creature's eyes become large and he steps back away from me. I have no idea what is happening to me right now. I have never experienced this level of anger. I try to back away from the crowd around me but they continue to get closer. All of a sudden, there is a flash and I feel myself floating above the crowd. What the hell is going on with my body? I look down at the crowd around me and they start to scatter. The main one stays where he is, staring at me intently.

It asks me, "What are you? Why are you here? What do you want with us?" I hover above him without answering his question. He continues to stare, but finally runs away into the thick trees. Once I feel like they are gone, my body starts to return to normal and I float back down to the ground. I have no idea what the hell just happened to me. I looked at my arms and legs and nothing seems out of the ordinary. I couldn't see my face, so I have no idea what I looked like. I need to figure this out. Maybe this was the power my mother told me about long ago. I never believed anything she told me. It only help to fuel my interest in paranormal activity and if it was real. Once I get my bearings again, I slowly start to walk toward the house. I notice the back patio light is on.

I find Grace sitting in a chair, and it appears she is expecting me. "Anything you want to talk about Ana? Did something happen while you went for a walk?" How did she know that? Either she was watching me or someone came back and told her. I'm betting on the second one.

"Well, I don't know what happened Grace. I was walking further into the trees and I felt something behind me. I turned around and saw something that looks similar to a wolf. It didn't act aggressive, but it did threaten me that if I didn't leave, I would be sorry. I spoke to it and told it I had permission to be there but that didn't seem to make a difference. Then about 20-30 of them appeared around me and I guess my body went into protection mode. I don't know what happened after that. Once they left the area, I walked back here and saw you sitting on the patio." Grace looks at me for a long time, as if she is contemplating telling me something.

"Ana, you've had a long day. Maybe you should retire to your room and get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow. I had Taylor take your bag to the guest room. It's on the second floor, first door on the left. If you need anything else, please let me know." I thank her and take the stairs slowly to my room.

I walk in the room and its painted light blue with white trim. The bathroom is attached, and there is a nice marble tub that is calling my name. I start a hot bath and add some lavender bath oil that I brought with me. I lock the bedroom door and slowly get undressed. I walk into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. I don't see any difference in myself but I know something happened to me out in the woods. I walk to the tub and step in slowly, sinking down into the bubbles. This has been a long day, but I need to figure out what just happened.

 _Meanwhile downstairs in the library…_

Grace POV

"Christian, I cannot believe what you and your friends did to Ana. You have no idea what you have set yourselves up for. She has powers and she will eventually figure out what happened to her tonight. What are you going to do then? You have no idea what she is capable of and she doesn't even know about her powers quite yet. The madder she gets, the more power she will have. It's obvious that she doesn't know how to harness her powers yet, and I think that's why the professor sent her here. He was aware of them and knew that we can help her. You just need to calm down."

"No Mom, I will not calm down. There is something about her that doesn't add up. Why has she all of a sudden shown up here? How come we couldn't see her coming? This is not adding up. Then she does some crazy shit and hovers over us like some kind of fairy or something! Holy motherfucking shit! MOM! She has powers too! What the fuck! Now what are we going to do?" Christian says with an upset tone.

"Watch your language and calm down. We are going to help her find her power and how to use it. That's exactly what I did for all three of you. Ana has no family. Both of her parents are dead, so she has no one to explain this to her. She will probably freak out when we all try and explain it to her. You also need to change your attitude toward her. She may just be the one to straighten you out!" Grace grins at him and waits for his response. "I don't fucking think so Grace! I don't need calming down! I'm doing just fine. Besides, I'm a werewolf! I'll eat her for breakfast!" He runs his fingers through his hair as he paces the library. "Why can't we just tell her to leave and not come back? This whole thing sucks!"

"Christian, you need to settle down or you're going to turn yourself again. Everything will be fine. Trust me. Ana is harmless, and once she figures out what she can do, she will try to avoid using it at all costs. She is a nice girl and I would like for her to stay here as long as she wants." The look that she gives Christian tells him the topic is now closed for discussion. "Are you staying the night here or going home? You can stay in your old room." "Yeah, I can stay the night. We can discuss more over breakfast in the morning. Thanks mom, goodnight." Grace sighs heavily as Christian leaves the library. She says to herself, "That boy is going to be the death of me."

 _Back to Ana POV_

I've been soaking in the tub for too long…my fingers are pruning. I pull the plug on the tub, stand up and grab a towel, drying myself off. I grab the vanilla scented lotion from my bag and moisturize my skin before I get dressed for bed. I put on my shorts and tank top and grab a book to read in bed. I unlock my bedroom door and turn off the light. I cuddle under the covers and open the book to the last page I was reading. As hard as I try, I can't focus on what I'm reading. My mind keeps drifting back to my confrontation with the wolf. I wonder who it was? I can't get over how my body reacted to anger. What was it? I hope Grace can help me figure it out. I finally go to sleep thinking about how I will resolve my new found power.

Christian POV

I finally get myself settled in bed, but now I can't go to sleep. I wish I could just shut my mind off, but I can't stop thinking about Ana. Why did she come here? What does she want with us? Maybe mom is right and Ana has no idea what kind of power she holds. I wonder if I can read her. I lay back and try to talk myself out of going into her room. That would be all sorts of wrong if it did that. She is a beautiful woman. Long brown hair and crystal clear blue eyes. She would go bonkers if she found me in her room. The longer I lay here, the more reasons I find to go into her room. I slowly creep out of my room and walk down the hall to the guest room. I try the door knob, and I'm surprised to find its unlocked. I quietly open the door and peak in to see if she heard me walking down the hallway.

I see her small frame in the middle of the bed and she doesn't appear to awake. I slowly walk into her room and slide a chair next to her bed. I watch her sleep for a while. She appears peaceful, then after a few minutes, she starts to thrash around. She keeps saying "no, no, get away from me. Leave me alone." I don't know what else to do, so I start to read her mind while she's dreaming. The thoughts are jumbled with no direction. She starts to get more agitated and the thoughts become clearer and easier for me to see. She is breathing hard and I'm worried she will hyperventilate in her sleep. I keep seeing what's in her mind and I see her as a young child and her parents are in the room with her. They are arguing over moving away to another city. Ana cries that she doesn't want to go and her parents aren't giving her a choice. She is crying hysterically in her dream, and now I see tears streaming down her face while she is sleeping.

I continue to read her thoughts and it appears that time has moved forward in her dream. She now appears to be a teenager. Her parents are in the dream and they start to argue again. This time it's about Ana using some power against her parents. They want to send her away to have her powers removed. They don't understand how she developed these powers since neither one of them have it. They think she's possessed by the devil. She cries and wishes they were dead. She storms off and her next vision is at a cemetery. She is standing alone near two caskets. As she gets closer, I can read the headstone…it's for her parents.

I sit back and watch her for a while longer. I should probably leave in case she wakes up. I don't think she would be happy to find me in her room. I haven't been very nice to her since we met. She doesn't know it was me in the woods that threatened her. She will figure it out sooner or later. Ana starts to mumble about being sorry and wishing she wouldn't have said the things she did. She starts to sob in her sleep and I can't take it anymore. I move closer and sit on the edge of the bed. I take my hand and rub across her forehead trying to calm her while she is sleeping. Mom used to calm me down by doing that. I hope it works for her. I continue to softly rub back and forth over her forehead and her breathing slowly goes back to normal. She starts to wake up and I wonder if I should leave. She quickly opens her eyes and takes a deep breath when she sees me sitting on her bed. "What are you doing in my room?" I can't tell her I was reading her mind, so I tell her that I heard her crying in her sleep and came into her room to make sure she was ok.

"Ana, I heard you crying from my room. I got worried that something was wrong, so I came in here to check on you. I know that I haven't been very nice to you but I was concerned for your safety. Are you alright?"

Ana POV

I wake up from a nightmare and find Christian sitting on the edge of my bed. "What are you doing in my room?" I sit up and look him in the eye. Ever since the episode in the woods this evening, my senses have been heightened. I feel like he is hiding something from me. He says that he heard me crying and came in to check on me. I give him a puzzle look. "During my dream, it felt like someone was touching me. Was that you?" I look him in the eyes and it seems like he contemplating telling me the truth. "Look, I know something is going on, and you are keeping something from me. Can we talk about it?" He just sits there and doesn't say anything. "If you aren't going to answer me, please leave me alone," I say rather bluntly. He takes a deep breath and starts to answer me. "Ana, there are many things that I would like to tell you but I should wait until tomorrow morning when my mother is present. Is that okay with you?" I think about his answer.

"Sure, I can wait until the morning, if you promise to tell me everything. I am not keeping anything from your family. There are many things that I have questions about, and I hope I can get some answers." He nods his head and takes my hand. "Ana, I know that your mind is going crazy and you don't know how to handle things. Hopefully after breakfast tomorrow, things will be clearer." While he is holding my hand, I can feel a strong energy between the two of us. What is that from? He lets go of my hand and gets up to leave. "I hope you sleep well Ana, see you in the morning." He shuts the door when he leaves and I lay back down and try to go back to sleep.

Grace POV The next morning

As I stand in the kitchen drinking my coffee, I think back to the conversation Ana and I had yesterday. That poor girl has no idea what she's in for. The ringing doorbell knocks me out of the memory. I open the door to the gentleman that has a note in his hand. "Mrs. Grey?" I look at the note in his hand. "Yes, I'm Mrs. Grey. Can I help you?" He hands me the note and walks away. I close the door and walk back into the kitchen.

I sit at the breakfast bar staring at the envelope. I take a drink of my coffee and open the letter. I find a typewritten note directed at me…

 _Mrs. Grey,_

 _I thought we had an understanding. We agreed a long time ago that we would stay away from each other's families or face the consequences. I am aware that you have a visitor at your house that violates our agreement. Her powers can bring an end to our existence and I will not allow that. You have 24 hours to get rid of her, or our family will get rid of her and your entire family._

The note is unsigned, but I know exactly who sent it…The Lincolns.

"Good morning sweetheart," Carrick says as he kisses the side of my head. "What you got there?" he asks pointing to the letter. I hand it to him and he reads it, then sighs. "How are we going to handle this? Ana is not aware of her powers yet, and if we tell her everything today, she is going to freak." I nod my head, "I know but maybe we should tell her anyway. She is a smart girl. She knows that something is going on, she's just not sure what it is."

Christian comes in the kitchen and asks about the note. I explain what it said and I can see him starting to get upset. "Mom, we can't let anything happen to Ana. She had a nightmare last night. I heard her crying from my room. I sat on her bed and read her thoughts as she was dreaming. She was having flashbacks to her childhood and when her parents died. She kept saying she was sorry over and over. I comforted her until it passed, then she woke up. She is going to be looking for answers this morning. How are we going to handle it? Do you think one of the Lincolns was in the woods last night and saw what Ana did?"

"I don't know Christian. Either they had someone there or they felt her presence. Either way, we need to tell her and do everything we can to keep her safe. Are we all in agreement with this?" Everyone nods their head.

"Good morning everyone," Ana says as she comes into the kitchen. "Good morning dear, how did you sleep" I ask her as I look over at Christian. "I slept ok, thank you for asking Grace."

"Are you hungry? We are getting ready to eat breakfast," I ask Ana. She tells me that she prefers tea, so I pour her a cup and we sit down in the dining room and eat breakfast. Everyone is eating and not saying much, but we soon hear the front door open. Elliott walks in and grabs a plate and sits down at the table. "Glad I'm just in time for breakfast," he says winking at Ana. I see Christian narrow his eyes at Elliott.

Everyone has finished breakfast and we are sitting around the table having a light discussion on current events. "Why don't we move the conversation to the living room. There are some things that we need to discuss as a family. Mia should be here in a moment." As soon as I finish talking, I hear Mia come busting through the front door. "MOM! What is going on? Why the family meeting? Is someone hurt?" She runs in looking around at everyone making sure they are ok. "We are fine Mia. Some things have come to my attention and I need to discuss them with everyone. Please take a seat. Have you had breakfast?" She says she has already eaten as she finds a place next to Ana on the couch.

"As you are aware, Ana is staying with us to further her research for college. Some things have happened in the past 24 hours that has caused some issues with the neighbors. We are going to spend this morning explaining things to her so she can understand them. We are here to help her, so please keep that in mind while we are having this discussion," I say as I'm looking around the room.

Ana POV

I am sitting in the living room looking around at total strangers, but yet I feel like they are family. I keep thinking back to what has happened to me in the past 24 hours. The wolves in the woods and me hovering over them, my nightmares, and Christian all of a sudden being nice to me. I am broken from my thoughts by Grace talking to me. "Ana, what would you like to talk about. Do you have questions for us? Or would you like for me to just explain some things to you first?" I nod at her and ask her to just explain what happened in the woods and to help me figure out how I was able to hover last night.

"Alright dear, but first I need to give you some background as to why you are here. I am going to give you quite a bit of information, so if you need me to stop, just tell me. Your professor contacted me a few months ago and asked if I would be interested in helping one of his students that was majoring in parapsychology and needed help with a research project. He explained his belief that you had certain powers that you were unaware of, and asked for me to help you discover them. Carrick and I were the only ones that knew of your ability. We received a letter this morning threatening harm to you and our family if you didn't leave the area. We can't let that happen, so we will take whatever precautions necessary to keep you safe."

Oh my God. I shouldn't have come here. I have put myself and this family in danger. I have to go back. I get up to leave and Christian grabs me softly by the wrist. "Please stay Ana. We don't want you to go anywhere. We will help you however we can, and I promise to keep you safe," he says looking me directly in the eyes. I see something familiar but I can't place it right now.

"Grace, I am so sorry that I have brought trouble to you. That is not my intention. I need to tell you about my past. When I was a little girl, I was infatuated with people that said they could read into the future. My parents didn't approve of it, and said I was wasting my time looking into it. They encouraged me to start going to the library and reading books. What they didn't know is that I was researching how the mind works and if there were people in the world that could actually read minds and predict the future. As I got older, they realized what I was doing. They tried to force me into a private school that could control me, but I refused and ran away from home. The night my parents died, they were out looking for me. They were traveling on a two lane road and were struck head on by another vehicle. The driver of the other car died at the scene as well." I take a deep breath and start to wipe tears from my eyes.

"After my parents passed away, I found out I was adopted. I have no idea who my real parents are. If I am ever able to locate them, I may be able to find some answers on these special powers I have."

Suddenly I feel two strong arms pull me off the couch, and I find myself sitting on Christian's lap. He holds me close to his body as he rubs my back. "Don't cry Ana. We will figure this out, ok?" I nod my head and continue talking. "Last night, when I was surrounded by the wolves, what happened to me? How did I do what I did? Do I have certain powers that I didn't know about? How did I get them?"

"Before I tell you about your power, I need to explain something else to you. The letter that I received this morning is from the Lincolns. They live on the other side of the water. They have been enemies of our family for hundreds of years because they are vampires and we are wolves. My power is limited to seeing into the future. The rest of the family has full wolf power, including Mia and Elliott. Do you have any questions or do you want me to continue," Grace asks.

I pull away and look up at Christian. "You were in the woods last night? Were you the one that threatened me?" I ask while looking into his eyes. Then it dawns on me what I am seeing. The eyes say it all. "Please let me up. I need to get up," I say to Christian. He doesn't want to let me up but his mother gives him a long stare and he relents. I get up and start to pace the floor.

"Yes Ana, it was me and some of the pack that you saw in the woods. I didn't know why you were here and I was worried that you were going to expose my family to danger. I'm sorry if I scared you, but I didn't know what else to do," Christians explains.

"Grace, what do I need to do to make sure your family stays out of danger? I can leave if that's what it takes." Grace smiles and shakes her head. "Dear sweet girl. You will be staying with us. I fear that the Lincolns will follow you wherever you go because you are what is called a fairy. Your power is strong enough to eliminate them. That is what they are afraid of." _What? I have powers to kill someone? This can't be happening._

"Grace, how do I create this power? Does my body do it on its own or can I control it? This is so hard to comprehend," I say shaking my head. "Ana, your body recognizes when it goes into defense mode. When you feel threatened or your anger is heightened, your body starts to change. Your body places a defense shield around you to prevent attack. You can levitate and overtake someone, whether they have special abilities or not. Your power allows you to disable their movement and senses. They will be unable to attack you until you release your hold on them. The overtaking power can be done without levitating. Does any of this make sense? I know it's a lot of information to accept right now."

"I am understanding it, I think. So last night when Christian threatened me, my body produced a shield around itself and I levitated? Is that why he freaked out? Could I have attacked him?" Grace nods her head and I continue asking questions. "So the Lincolns are vampires and they want to kill me because of my power? Because I can overtake and kill them? This is crazy. I had no idea things like this existed. I researched it in college, but I didn't think it could be reality."

"The Lincolns want you dead because of your power. By killing you and drinking your blood, it will increase their power and dominance over everything. Nothing would be able to take them down. So, we are needing you to help fight them. Would you be willing to help us?"

I look around the room at hopeful eyes. I look at Christian. "I have a question for you. Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden? Yesterday you were rude and wanted me gone. Now you want me to stay? What is going on with you?" He looks at me with hopeful eyes.

"Ana, I felt threatened when I first saw you. You show up out of the blue and talk to my mother like you've known her forever. Then I saw you in the woods with the shield around you. After I fled the woods, I started to think about what you were. Were you here to harm us? I have never come across anything like you. You are a beautiful woman, and you are like me, with special powers. I find you fascinating. I want to get to know you more."

"Christian, all you had to do is ask me why I am here. I don't have anything to hide. This is very new to me and I don't know how to handle it. You all will have to help through it, but I don't want to endanger any of you. I would like to get to know you better as well. So Grace, yes I will stay and help you against the Lincolns. But for now, I think I will go to my room and rest for a while. Thank you for talking with me."

I get up and walk to my room. I stand facing the window looking out over the water and I want to know more about the Grey's. How did they know I had certain powers? I hope we can figure this out together. I hear the door open and turn around to see Christian standing in the door way. He approaches me slowly. He gets close enough to me that I can feel the heat coming off his body. "I'm sorry about how I've been acting toward you Ana. The truth is I feel this connection to you and I was trying to fight it off. When I touched your body last night, I felt this amazing energy. I don't know if it was you or me, but I want to feel it again. Do you mind if I touch you?" I nod my head and reach my hand out for him. He takes my hand, squeezing it. He runs his fingertips up my arm and the entire time by body is starting to come alive with warmth and tingling. His hand reaches my shoulders and we make eye contact.

He moves closer to me as he continues to move his hand up my shoulder, along my neck and to my cheek. "Can I kiss you Ana?" I nod and whisper, "yes." He takes my face in both of his hands and slowly leans in toward my lips. He kisses me softly at first, then it becomes more urgent. He takes his tongue and outlines my lips causing me to gasp slightly, which causes my mouth to open enough for him to push his tongue inside. He deepens the kiss and walks me backwards until he presses my body against the wall. I feel his hardened body pressed up against me and I can feel myself getting aroused.

Our kiss breaks apart as we gasp for air. He starts to lightly kiss down my neck to my collar bone and I take my hands around to his ass cheeks and press him into me. He grinds his erection into me, and I feel myself climbing higher and higher. "Christian," I whisper softly. "What is it Ana? You want me to stop? You feel so good baby." I break away from his kiss and walk toward the door, trying to catch my breath. I make sure the door is pushed closed and I reach up to lock it. I walk back over to where he is and I reach up to whisper in his ear, "no, I don't want you to stop. I want you to fuck me like the animal you are."


	7. Chapter 7: Author 6

**DAYS OF FIFTY CHALLENGE 3**

 **Prompt 1# "I never believed they existed, but one is staring right at me."**

 **.**

 **THE LONELY SAGE AND THE MAD GARDENER**

Christian walked along the empty streets, cloaked in the darkness of a moonless night. Wicked monsters lurked around the filthy corners, sharp teeth poking under evil smiles. He smirked at them and kept soaring over the narrow alleys with purposeful, silent steps toward his destination, the one he had been visiting every night for the last month.

With unnatural grace, he climbed the fire escape of the red brick building; its usually groaning joints going silent under his touch. Effortlessly, he approached the top of the building and jumped in the small balcony of the last floor, putting on his hood as he leaned on the railings with reptilian posture. His grey eyes, almost translucent, scanned the inside of the tiny apartment, waiting for her to appear.

He was a millenary guardian. A solitary creature who had accumulated more than a lifetime of treasures and knowledge. A keeper. But nothing of that mattered anymore. He always had tolerated the burden of solitude that accompanied him; he even relished in it. But now it was like a stone weighing heavy over his chest because now he wanted her, and only her.

()()()()()()()()()

Anastasia was in the middle of the evening ritual of taking care of her plants. There were so many pots and planters around the tiny one-bedroom apartment that it looked like a small forest. She really made a ceremony out of it, giving to each one of them the exact amount of hydration, nutrients and caring they needed. The colorful tulips that welcomed her home from the foyer usually asked for a joke or two, their soft petals vibrating with Ana's laughter. The delicate bluebells on the coffee table often needed some dancing to cheer them up. The majestic hanging plants around the main room always requested a reverential salute, which Ana dutifully gave them by bowing solemnly as she passed. While making dinner, she chatted animatedly with the rosemary, the thyme and the mint that sat on the kitchen counter, thanking them for how generously shared their leaves with her. She pleased the water hyacinth placed beside her bathtub with small talk as she took a bath, and every night she told the lavender and jasmine plants that surrounded the headboard of her queen-size bed a bedtime story.

A rapid movement out on the balcony caught her eye. She nervously bit her bottom lip and took a breath through her nose, letting it go with a soft puff of air when her teeth released the petal soft flesh. Her gaze moved to her latest acquisition, a solitary oleander blossom in a small jar that had appeared on the metallic grill that was the floor of the balcony the night before. It was tiny and delicate; precious in spite of its poisonous nature.

"You're a little misfit, huh?" She whispered to the white flower, squatting to its level.  
She looked to the balcony once again and approached it with guarded steps. She tried to take a peek between the green strings of rounded leaves of the Button Orchid that she used as curtains, but the night was too dark, and she only found the reflection of her big, cerulean-blue eyes staring back at her. When she opened the sliding door, she found a middle-size terracotta pot with a golden bow surrounding it, holding a gorgeous Aloe Vera plant. Ana fingered the meaty, reptilian-like leaves when she felt a shiver running down her spine. She stood up and kept still; eyes closed and arms tightly wrapped around her middle. There was something, or someone, beside her. A strong presence that made her weak in the knees. "Who's there? Who are you?" She whispered to the darkness.

Christian, who was perched on his haunches on top of the roof, backed away with a jolt. He panted silently, squeezing his eyes shut as if in pain. The scent of her skin had lured him in; she smelled like a meadow full of wildflowers, like sunny days and ardent nights. But her fragrant breath, that sweet puff of air coming out of her delectable mouth, was too much. He was incapable of containing the low purr reverberating in his chest. The low sound ignited Ana's nerve endings as its vibration traveled from her bare toes to the top of her head. Her nipples tightened and her abdomen tingled with need. Christian widened his stance; his eyes wild and feral, and his nostrils flaring as he clutched the tiles of the roof, crushing them between his fingers. Ana shuddered; her body was on fire, her skin damp with perspiration. She carelessly discarded her cardigan on the floor, picked up the plant and rushed into the apartment after a breathless 'thank you' thrown to the dark of the night. She leaned her back against the cool surface of the glass door, clutching the fabric of her light, white sundress in her fists. What was happening to her? What was this presence that overpowered her entire being? Strong, dominant, wise, millennial. She whimpered with the sound of shattered tiles falling to the balcony, and gasped when a burning heat seeped through the glass, searing her skin with fire. Christian pressed himself to the door, the side of his face flattened over the smooth surface and his hands trailing the outline of her body. His ragged breath fogged the glass just behind the curve of her neck, whispering ancient words in an unknown language, older than life itself. At that moment, Ana let herself go. She fell to the floor, legs wide open and hands in the apex of her thighs. Christian knelt behind her, desperate. She found herself hot and wet, ready to combust, rubbing furiously under her panties, dipping her fingers inside her as he commanded her to do. Christian clawed the glass, which subjugated under his fingertips as if it were butter, and when she exploded with a scream of ecstasy, he roared to the heavens and took off to the dark sky, the metallic structure of the balcony giving underneath him.

()()()()()()()()()

Ana stepped out of the train and said goodbye to the regular fellow passengers that shared her morning commute. She supported the pot with the Aloe Vera plant over her hip and headed to her place of work for the last five years, the Volunteer Park Conservatory. She loved the walk from the train station to the greenhouse itself and, as per usual, stopped by the cafe for an English tea to go.

"A new acquisition, Ana?" The young man smiled as he pointed to the plant. She always carried one, either in her way in or when she went home in the afternoon.

"Yes, it was a gift. Do you like it?" She answered with a toothy grin, caressing the thick leaves with a single finger. She could feel his presence, lurking somewhere not far away from her, his heady, earthy scent filling her lungs deliciously. With a friendly smile and a 'see you tomorrow', she headed to the conservatory.  
It was almost midday when Christian decided to finally approach her. He appeared around a corner filled with palm trees, with his hands deeply tucked inside his front pockets and a guarded expression on his face. Ana had felt his presence all day long, but now the pull was stronger. And, although she didn't raise her eyes from the rose bush she was trimming, there was no doubt it was him. Shuddering, she left the pruner on the metallic work table and, still without averting her eyes from the blood red petals of the flowers, she took off her gardening gloves. Finally, she slowly looked up and saw him for the first time. Biker boots; faded jeans covering strong, long legs; grey Henley shirt hugging a broad, toned chest and taut stomach; and a sculptured face, so beautiful it hurt. But what made her skin cover in goose-bumps where those hypnotic grey eyes. They were young but spoke of an ancient wisdom that seemed to know all her deepest, darkest secrets.

"I wasn't sure you were going to show up." Her voice sounded breathier than she intended. To Christian it was husky and sexy, making him slow his approach to compose himself.

"Here I am." He stated when he reached the opposite side of the table.  
He had been alone for so much time, he felt like a fish out of water. Always keeping a safe, comfortable distance, he was an avid observer, excellent in reading people and finding out what made them tick. He had always been content like that, or so he lied to himself, but the precious creature in front of him was so beautiful, so unique, he needed more from her. So much more. "Would you like a coffee?" He finally spoke, enthralled by the sparkle of the blue gems that were her eyes and the alluring way she bit that succulent lip.

"I'm more of a tea lover." Ana teased him with an innocent smile.

"Noted." He answered with amused eyes.

"I know just the place." She finally said, shaking her head to clear her mind of the banter-induced giddiness she was feeling.

They walked to the cafe in comfortable silence; Christian with his hands still in his pockets; Ana holding the Aloe Vera plant, once again safely resting over the curve of her hip. Christian watched her, fixed it in his brain along the millions and millions of data he remembered, but didn't ask her about it.  
They chose one of the more secluded tables of the open space cafe after taking their orders. Christian watched Ana as she dipped the bag of English breakfast tea in the hot water three times before leaving it aside on the saucer. He didn't comment anything, just assessed her, taking mental notes, his thumb and index finger rubbing his chin rhythmically. She watched him watching her, reaching to her own conclusions too.

"I'm Ana. Anastasia, in fact, but I prefer Ana," She said to break the ice.

"I'm. Christian. You like plants, a lot," Christian commented, pointing with his chin at the plant beside her.  
"I need them to…" 'To live, to breathe, to stay alive', she thought. Was he different from the rest, like she thought? Could she finally have found someone who really understood her? "Yeah, I like plants, a lot." She finally agreed. Christian nodded wordlessly, reading between the lines as he so thoroughly had perfected through the years. "What do you do? What are you?" She asked.

"I'm an entrepreneur, silent investor in multiple ventures. I 'm… good at reading people, calculate risks and make profitable choices." Christian answered after pondering his words for a while.

"Oh, my God! Really? A silent partner? A man who doesn't need any recognition to boost his enormous ego? **I never believed they existed, but one is staring right at me!** " Ana exclaimed with mock surprise.  
A heartfelt, melodic laugh erupted from Christian's mouth as he slapped his thigh. Ana's whole body tingled with the velvety sound, the low tones reverberating in her bones. "It's quite a vague answer, though…" She raised an eyebrow defiantly.

"No name, no blame," Christian answered teasingly before sipping his black coffee.

"Ok, so… I'm the mad gardener who speaks with her plants, if you ask me," she deadpanned, mimicking him by also sipping from her weak tea.

Christian shook his head smiling dazzlingly. "That's really endearing." They looked at each other silently, feeling the strange connection they shared, and not fully understanding it. "This…" he motioned between the two of them with his hand, "it's… so refreshing." The content expression on his beautiful face was soul-stirring. Ana stared at him in awe. His features seemed younger and lighter with his eyes closed; those iridescent irises that reflected the sorrow and the pain of someone who has seen too much hidden under his eyelids. "You should return to the greenhouse, shouldn't you?" Christian said, suddenly standing up and breaking her trance.

"And you…? What are you going to do?" Ana felt the panic growing at the prospect of a sudden farewell.

"What do you want me to do?" Christian cocked his head, the warmth of their previous exchange totally gone.  
Ana opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. She wanted to know him, she wanted him, period. She felt confused, giddy; she was anxious, even a little bit scared, but she needed more of him. "I don't want you to go. You, we… last night…" she whispered the last words, not being able to form a coherent sentence.

"There are too many ears here," Christian cut her off.

"You could come to my apartment this evening." Ana's voice wavered in hesitation.

"I will if you want me to." Christian's eyes wandered between her blue ones and her mouth.

"I want to," she whispered, fearing that everything would crumble if her voice raised a little.

"Good," he nodded.

"You might come by the main entrance; someone crushed my balcony yesterday night," she said ironically; that challenging eyebrow once again raised in defiance.

That blissful smile was on full HD once again in Christian's face. "You don't have any idea..." Christian's smile didn't falter, but his expression sobered.

"Of what?" Ana asked, confused.

"Of how I really, really like you," he voiced huskily, his penetrating stare boring over her skin.

Ana wrapped her arms around her middle, suddenly shivering. "But you haven't touched me, not once." She frowned, looking at his hands, once again tucked inside his pockets.  
His right hand rose slowly, stopping a few inches from her face. His body inched closer, but he maintained a security distance. He took the end of the silky pashmina that hung from her neck, letting it slide between his fingers. "If I touch you now..." Christian licked his lips, watching how the fabric slipped from his hand and touched her breast, "I won't be able to stop." Ana's heart beat rapidly against her ribcage.

She only nodded in assent.

()()()()()()()()()

Christian entered Ana's building by the main entrance and took the stairs, climbing one step at a time, grounding forcefully his feet on the marble floor as he tried to ground himself. He was filled with anticipation; his nerve endings cracking with electricity, his skin humming with her proximity, the beast inside him waiting to break free. He could smell her tangy-sweet scent, and it was making his mastered self-control rapidly slip away as he approached the door of her apartment. He rang the bell and waited patiently, chuckling to himself at the irony of the situation; he could easily open the door with a little push of his index finger.

Ana opened the door with trembling hands. His supernatural eyes, deep and precious, stared at her as his face relaxed infinitesimally. He carried a beautiful bouquet of white daisies in a small gray clay pot.

"These are for you," he said as he brought them closer to her, "they remind me of you: delicate, innocent, beautiful."

"Thank you so much! They are lovely," she said as she let him in, blushing at his words. "You are too kind."

"I'm not," he stated as he closed the door behind him. He didn't add anything else.

"So, considering the oleander and the Aloe Vera… I have to assume that you are both poisonous and healing?" she said with mischief.

"Also fire resistant," he smirked.

She paused for a second, pondering his words as she placed the daisies on the coffee table, beside the bluebells. "We have so much to talk," she finally said, leaning her back against the wall.

"We have," he acquiesced, approaching her. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked as he brushed his fingertips along a silky lock of dark brown hair that rested delicately over her chest.

"Strangely not," she answered with humor. She closed her eyes, tilting her head back and stifling a moan when he put the lock of hair behind her ear, brushing her skin with his fingers in the process. "I don't know how you do this, why I feel like this..." she panted.

"I have been watching you for some time now, but I don't want to assume I have all the answers," he distanced himself from her, letting her recover from his unintended sensory attack. "Who are you?"

"I'm a nymph. A Dryad. I need my plants to live, and they need me." She explained out of breath, knotting her fingers together.

Christian nodded, eyes squinted and brow furrowed in concentration, as his hands landed flat on the wall, on either side of her head, encasing her. "I figured…" he inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the flowery scent of her hair, "you are too enticing, too tempting, too exceptional." His eyes closed in bliss. "Are you alone?" Ana only nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. Christian put some distance between them; his fragile control ready to snap. "Why are you here, living in the city, then?" he asked, biting his lip. It was the only thing he could not figure out.

"I had to. It's a long story I don't want to stir up right now," she answered sharply. Christian saw the cloud of fear and anxiousness in her eyes, and didn't push the subject for the moment.

"What are you?" she asked, pushing herself from the wall. "You exert an immeasurable power over me…" they both looked at the scratched glass of the balcony door, and the distorted mass of metal that was the floor.

"It is only an infinitesimal part of the power you exert over me," Christian brushed both his hands over his hair, leaving them hooked behind his neck. "I… I have never wanted anything like I want you… I'm focused on you; I'm obsessed with you. Thoughts of you consume my mind all the time," he confessed, a distraught expression on his face.

"Who are you, Christian?" Her heart was beating so hard she was afraid it might burst out of her chest.

He paced the room for a minute, standing akimbo in front of her. "Once upon a time, there was a knight." He averted his eyes for a second, a fog of unpleasant memories clouding his sight. "Sir Grey was a powerful man; courageous, audacious. Nothing stopped him; nothing was enough for him. He didn't settle for a normal life, so he spent his days looking for something… magnificent. And he finally found it, only by chance." Ana waited with bated breath as he stared at some undetermined point of the opposite wall. "He was fighting with a pack of wolves, wounded and clearly outnumbered, corralled against the side of a wall of rock, when a thunderous roar filled the air, scaring the wolves away toward the deep forest. He was Gråskuggor, the gray Dragon; the biggest and strongest he had ever seen. Also the wisest. The creature bowed respectfully in front of Sir Grey's prone form, took him gently between his large claws, and healed him with its knowledge and power."

"Why did the dragon help Sir Grey?" Ana asked, fascinated with the story and the way Christian's eyes changed in shades of silvery color.

He looked her in the eye. "Because he felt it was his destiny. After thousands of years of existence, he was feeling empty," he explained without breaking eye contact. "In spite of all his power, his knowledge, his treasures…" Christian shook his head, "he felt incomplete as if a part of his soul had been ripped away, leaving a burning hole in his gigantic chest." He closed the distance between them, standing only inches apart from her. "When he smelled the fight and sensed Grey's soul slipping away to the heavens, he knew he had to save him to reach his destiny."

"Did Gråskuggor finally find what he was looking for?" Ana asked in a whisper.

Christian looked at Ana with adoration as his eyes caressed the perfect curve of her cheek. "Sir Grey and Gråskuggor became true friends, connecting in a superior level…" Christian stared blankly as if reliving an old memory. "Their brains functioned as one as if their minds would have… merged into a single one. They shared everything; their dreams, their desires, even their most secrets fears. They fought hundreds of battles, found dozens of treasures and lived a good life, until one fateful night, when everything fell apart. Sir Grey met a beautiful woman; delicate, sophisticated, an aristocrat. He fell in love, and fail to see her true colors. She was extremely fickle and egotistical. The woman, Lady Williams, became extremely jealous of the connection Sir Grey shared with the dragon; she saw him as a hindrance for her plans, and she contracted a sorceress to get rid of the beast."

Ana gasped in horror, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. "She wanted to… to kill the dragon? How do you do that? Dragons are powerful creatures!"

Christian took both her hands on his. "Dragons are one of the most powerful creatures, but they are not invincible. The Lincoln Witch, that was her name, had a deal with the Devil himself. She lulled Gråskuggor to sleep with an ancient, forbidden spell and stabbed him in the chest with a poisonous dagger through a small hole in his cuirass." Christian let go of one of her hands and rubbed his chest over his heart as if feeling an old wound.

Ana looked him with kind, sad eyes. "I'm so sad for poor Gråskuggor… he didn't find what he was looking for…" Her gaze roamed all over his face, as if seeing him for the first time. "So, I'm no more, no less in front of a Sir, then," she bowed gracefully, averting her eyes to the floor. "What happened with Lady Williams and the Witch?"

He sighed, getting even closer to her as he licked his lips. "That's a story for another time… Let's just say their days finished with a slow, painful death and that they are rotting in hell for eternity." A shiver ran down Ana's spine, not in fear but in morbid satisfaction. Christian caressed her arms with the back of his hands, feeling the goose bumps all over her skin. "And, as for the dragon…" He took a few steps back and ran a hand through his hair. "Man and dragon had such a connection, that they were in fact a single creature, a single organism, even if they didn't know at the time." Ana's brow furrowed in confusion. "When the Witch attacked one of them, she, in fact, was attacking the both of them. Only the strongest survived." Ana opened her mouth, but not a single word escaped her lips. She shook her head and raised her hands palms up, in silent question. "I am not the knight, Ana. I am the dragon." Christian raised his right hand and brought it to the back of his neck, grabbing the collar of his t-shirt and taking it off in one swift motion. He had the powerful physique of a warrior, and his skin was covered by the vibrating tattoo of a fiery dragon. Christian watched carefully her reaction; how her beautiful eyes widened; how her rosy lips parted; how her hands moved to her chest. "I am a wise creature, Ana; dragons are. I have knowledge of a million facts, both magic and earthly, but I still don't know how this happened." He pointed at his chest, where the tattooed dragon moved sinuously among his rippled muscles. "What I know for sure is that I have already found what I have looking for a thousand years." He got closer to her and cradled her face between his large hands. The dragon waved towards his left shoulder and across his left arm, his nose arriving to the back of his hand when Ana covered it with her own. She gasped at the sensation, looking at Christian in wonder. He smiled, relieved at her reaction. "I know it's you, Ana. It's always been you." He leaned his forehead over hers, closing his eyes when her ragged breath covered his mouth. "I wouldn't be able to be with you in the shape of a gigantic dragon… Now I know why I felt that I had to save Grey: I had to become him to be with you. You are my destiny, my finally found destiny."

Ana moved her hand toward his face, tracing its shape with a single finger. Her eyes followed its path: the scratchy angle of his jaw, the soft underside of his iridescent eyes, and the shape of his thick lips. Both her hands trailed the grayish scales of the serpentine dragon, and the dozen scars that covered what was the body of a fighter. She rounded him, and hugged him from behind; her cheek flat between his shoulder blades and her arms snaking around his waist. He shivered and stifled a moan, his head falling back when she trailed his rippled stomach. The dragon curled against her, having waved all his length to Christian's back, and purred in contentment. She giggled, the vibration tickling her face and chest.

"Ana…" he sighed, gently squeezing both her hands with his, which rested over his stomach. It was the most beautiful sound he had never heard, like tiny bells chiming in the wind. She moved to face him and the dragon went round Christian's front once again, the ink filling his chest, back, and also hiding underneath his jeans. "He never moves this much," he whispered.

Ana looked at him; her smile was carefree, but her eyes were solemn. "Your body and your eyes say it all." Her hand covered a pale, star-shaped scar right over his heart. "I am yours and you are mine," she whispered before placing a kiss on the mark of the dagger that changed it all.

Christian groaned at the feeling, the vibrations traveling to her lips. "You really accept me?" His voice broke with hope and want.

"I've also been waiting for you all my life…" she panted, overwhelmed by the feelings that emanated from Christian once he had let his control slip away. Her skin was on fire, already damp with perspiration. Her pelvic muscles contracted in need. Her whole body ached to touch him and be touched by him. "Christian, the way you make me feel…"

"You feel the same that I feel," he cut her off, guiding her back to the nearest wall. "Desperate. I'm feeling desperate, Ana…" he cornered her between his muscular arms, his hands flat on the wall at either side of her face. "Last night, Ana… the way you responded to me…" His nostrils flared; his fingers dug in the drywall behind her.

"You make me thirsty." She cradled his face and brought it closer to her, their noses touching and their lips a breath away.

"You make me hungry," he answered in a low rumble. She licked his lips; a single slow pass of her tongue and a mischievous glint in her eyes. He hissed and trailed the side of her neck with his bare teeth. "God, I'm gonna lose my fucking mind," he growled against her goose bumped skin. His arms closed around her tiny frame, surrounding her in a tight embrace. Her hands were flat on his chest.

Their eyes closed as their mouths clashed hungrily, lips moving sensually against the other, tongues tasting and exploring. Christian turned them around and leaned himself on the wall, afraid of crushing her.

"I'm not afraid of you, Christian. Don't hold back!" she pleaded him, snaking one of her legs over his hip, trying to get closer to him.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and kept her at arm's length, eyes wild and mouth in a thin lane. She whimpered at the loss of contact. The dragon swirled around his bunched muscles, restless. He stared at her heaving chest, where her nipples strained against the flimsy material that covered her skin; at her pulse point, fluttering in the elegant curve of her neck; and finally, at her beautiful face, eyes shining with adoration, cheeks flushed with need and lips wet from his saliva. He blinked twice as his mind finally bent to his needs and brought his hand to the neckline of the lavender sundress she was wearing and ripped it in two from top to bottom effortlessly. The alluring pink blush that stained her cheeks and neck spread unashamedly down her chest and stomach. She wasn't wearing a bra, and her dark pink nipples pointed at him daringly. She was all soft curves, alluringly perfect; her tiny white lacy panties the only thing breaking the harmony of her naked shape.

She sagged against him, almost jumping in his arms, snaking her arms and legs around him in a full body embrace. The sensation of skin against skin was mind-blowing.

"Christian…" she sighed in contentment before kissing him deeply, raking her teeth over his full bottom lip while tugging at his hair with both hands.

He thrust his hips against her, his painfully hard erection imprisoned inside his jeans. She moaned against him, so hot and ready he could feel her through the layers of clothing. He fell to his knees, taking her with him. They laid on the floor, limbs entangled in a mass of flesh and need. The tattooed dragon swirled up his body and rounded his neck, where he roared in need.

"I need to taste you, baby, please," he mouthed against her neck, making her shiver. He grabbed her by her hips and maneuvered her body as if she weighed nothing until she was straddling his face. She squealed, a giggle bubbling out of her mouth that rapidly morphed into a gasped moan when he buried his nose in the soaked material of her panties, inhaling deeply.

He ripped them into pieces and grabbed both her ass cheeks, diving into her as if she was water in the desert. Ana's upper body fell forward, her hands on the floor as she watched him pleasuring her, his silvery eyes fixated on her. Her stomach contracted painfully as she approached her orgasm; every swipe of his tongue, every caress of his lips, every nip of his teeth bringing her closer to the point of no return. Her legs trembled, her elbows bowed, all her body shook as the tightened coil in her belly snapped, a hoarse scream emptying her lungs.

He lifted her trembling form and cradled her over his lap. "My sweet Ana…" he hummed against her damp hair. "So sweet, so beautiful." He lovingly caressed the side of her body, from shoulder to ankle, until her breathing evened and her eyes fluttered open with a dreamy expression on her face.

Without a single word, she kissed him unhurriedly and guided him to lay his back on the floor with a gentle push of her hand on his shoulder. Both her hands roamed across his chest and abs, raking her nails over his inked skin. Looking him in the eye, she unfastened the button of his jeans and unzipped his fly tortuously slowly. She palmed him through his boxers; he was hot, heavy and hard as a rock. His hips jerked involuntarily, both in relief and frustration.

"We need to get rid of these…" she murmured as she shifted to take off his boots and the rest of his clothes. Once completely naked, she stared at him, mesmerized. The dragon roamed his sculptured body languidly, from his legs to his arms, watching her in sweet anticipation. "You are so beautiful," Ana whispered as she leaned beside him, her hand trailing from his knee to his hip, and finally wrapping her hand around his shaft, hard steel underneath the velvety soft skin.

He hissed and moaned against her mouth, his arms tightening around her. Her lips left a trail of wet kisses along his strong neck, her tongue licking the flat discs of his areolas and dipping between the bulging muscles of his abdomen. He stared as she nipped his navel and tongued his happy trail, putting her hair up in a makeshift ponytail with one of his hands to better watch her as she reached his aching cock. She licked her lips before diving in; the hungry glint in her eyes almost as erotic as her hot mouth around his shaft. He growled when he hit the back of her throat, his eyes bulging and a swirl of ink vibrating all over his skin.

"Baby, if you continue…" Christian didn't find coherent words, "I need to be inside you, please…" Ana stopped her ministrations, a trail of her saliva connecting her lips with his cock. Christian groaned at the sight.

Carrying her bridal style to the bedroom, he deposited her in the middle of the bed and eased himself between her parted legs. They both trembled when he teased her entrance with the head of his cock, running it up and down her wet slit before gently breaching her entrance. She arched her back; her knees high and touching the bed, completely opened for him. He gripped the iron headboard with one hand and her thigh with the other one, entering her inch by inch until he was fully seethed inside her.

"So warm… you're so warm and tight…" he panted against her neck. He kissed her sweetly, lovingly. The both of them moaned when he began moving, almost easing out of her completely, to fully enter her again, grinding his pelvis to reach even deeper.

His slow, measured movements quickly morphed into frenzied ones; her legs tightly wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck; his fingers digging into the flesh of her backside, bringing her impossibly closer to him, the floral design of the headboard deformed under the strength of his hand.

"God, Christian…" she moaned in his ear, "I'm so close… are you there? Take me with you, please!" she begged incoherently. "I'm going to implode!"

"Fuck, Ana! Yes, fuck yes!" His hips jerked violently as an electric feeling seethed along his spine and spread to his legs, his balls, and his cock. He roared like a beast, head tilted back as the blur of ink disappeared between them and covered Ana's skin as she screamed in ecstasy, the black and gray scales turning sparkly bright as the dragon traveled between their joined bodies. Their bodies shook in rapture, the pleasure so high and so prolonged they lost all track of time and space.

When the dragon calmed down and returned to Christian's body, they fell into a blissful sleep.

()()()()()()()()()

"So, what do we do now?" Ana asked against his chest.

They were still laying on her bed after a night of restful sleep, limbs entangled and hearts swelling in happiness.

"I have a house at The Sound," he said, looking at the ceiling. "It has a big meadow where you could cultivate every possible type of plant or tree."

A big smile spread across Ana's mouth, lighting her entire face. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"I know it might be sudden; we are practically strangers, but I think it will work out well…" Christian looked at her after his rambling, the look on her face making him speechless.

"I love you, Christian. I would love to move in with you and your meadow." She answered, snuggling against his side.

"I love you, Ana. Forever."

()()()()()()()()()

" **Gråskuggor", meaning more or less "gray shades" in Swedish.**


	8. Chapter 8: Author 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

 **{}**

 **An instant connection**

Every year, Christian Grey organized a New Year's Eve party. All employees received invitations to his party, including Ana and Kate.

'The party of the century!' was written on the invitation.

"I promise, it's going to be… epic. All of you should attend, OK?" Christian insisted, while handing out the invitations to his employees himself.

At one point, Christian locked his eyes on Ana." You're going to join us, right?"

In response, she shrugged and smiled shyly." I'm not sure, Mr. Grey... I've a lot of work to do." Ana replied, while heat instantly spread towards her cheeks.

'Why is my boss looking at me like that?" were the words that swirled around her head at that moment. His gaze on her was piercing, and God her heart was beating like crazy!

"It's an order, Miss Steele." Christian remarked, and smiled at her." You have to be there. I insist."

"But, sir... I've still got a dozen things to do." Ana replied." What about the Arias deal, Mr. Grey. I only have three days left to meet the deadline"

"Work on it the day _after_ tomorrow, Ana..." Christian told her." I'll postpone my other appointments for that day, so I can help you meet your deadline. Deal?"

He looked at her pleadingly, his beautiful gray eyes sparkling like stars.

Ana almost wanted to shout.' Please stop looking at me like that!'

Fortunately, she was able to hold herself back.

At one point, Christian was looking at her like she was something precious... the way a man in love would look at his girlfriend.

But why?

'Ugh! I'm just imagining it... I'm so out of his league. Stop it!' She scolded herself mentally.

"Ana?" He said, while looking at her questioningly." Will you join me at the party?"

Well, how can she resist?

"OK, Mr. Grey... I'll be there." Ana replied, making Christian smile widely.

"See you at the party"

~0~ ~0~ ~0~

 **At Christian's party**

So… here she was with Kate in the elevator, all dolled up in a dark blue evening dress and silver-colored high heels.

The moment they reached the floor where the party was held, Ana's heart rate kicked up three notches.

She couldn't wait to see Christian.

"This is so exciting!" she heard Kate say.

"Indeed, it is." Ana replied, while a smile graced her gorgeous face.

As soon as the elevator door slid open, she and Kate immediately walked in the direction of the party.

"Kate! Ana!" They heard someone calling out to them.

So, the both of them stopped in their tracks, and turned their faces to see who was calling them.

It was Sawyer.

"Hey, ladies. Looking good... as always" Luke complimented, as he admired the two women in front of him.

Kate's full, red lips curled into a smile, while looking at him through her long, thick eyelashes." Gee… thanks, Luke. You look handsome yourself... you do know that, right?"

In response, he smiled widely, and nodded." Of course, I do." He replied, and raised an eyebrow the way _only_ he does it.

Ana laughed wholeheartedly at his reaction, and placed a hand on his upper arm." You're hilarious." She said, as they walked over to where the party was held." Like Kate here pointed out, you look devilishly handsome tonight."

"Thank you." A voice behind them said.

It was Christian...

"Get out of here, Grey." Sawyer replied." The lady was talking about me... not you"

 _Luke was Christian's business partner and long-time friend._

 _Sawyer liked Kate very much, and it was fun how he always wanted her attention. However, she played hard to get. Not to be a tease, but she just wanted to protect her heart._

 _Kate liked him too but was very cautious, when it came down to dating men. She didn't want to end up like her mom, who still wasn't over her divorce from Kate's father..._

"Seriously? Was she really talking about you now?" Christian said, while locking eyes with Ana." Are you sure, Sawyer?"

"Yes, I'm sure" Luke insisted, making Ana, Kate and Christian laugh at him, while entering the ballroom.

"Let's party!" Luke exclaimed, being the first one to walk in the direction of the bar.

Then all of a sudden he stopped and turned around, looking at Kate." Shall we, my lady?" he asked, while offering her a hand.

Kate nodded in response. "Sure." she said, and they both walked over to the bar.

Ana was already following them, but stopped in her tracks at one point, a bit nervous to be at the party with so many people. She was a shy, young woman who got up in the morning, went to work and went back home. Like clockwork.

She hated partying and mostly kept to herself.

Why? Well, Ana had a very good reason for that, but hadn't shared it with anyone.

How could she? Since Ana experienced it for the first time, five years ago, she has kept it a secret. Even from Kate.

She and Kate were indeed colleagues and good friends, but Ana didn't trust her enough to share this burden with her. Could she ever... share it with someone?

No, she couldn't. Cause Ana was certain that nobody in the world was mentally capable of handling what she was hiding.

As a sigh escaped her lips, she all of sudden had the urge to flee. Maybe she should just go? Yes... she should. Then why was she unable to move?!

Damn it! Stupid legs!

Christian was already walking towards the bar, but stopped in his tracks, when he didn't see Ana.

He turned around and saw that she was standing in the middle of the ballroom, her eyes darting around, while he saw a hint of fear in her bright, blue eyes.

Ana looked absolutely terrified.

Christian decided then to calm her down. He walked over to Ana, and when he reached her spot, he smiled at her." Ana? What's the matter? Something wrong?"

"I uhmm... I d-don't wanna sit by the bar." She pointed out." The couch is fine, I'm gonna sit over there."

While observing Ana, Christian noticed how her hand was shaking. However, he didn't ask her about it, because he'd probably make it worse for her.

Instead, Christian nodded and they walked over to the red, comfortable couch.

Ana took a seat, but Christian didn't.

"What's your poison, Ana?" he asked, but then remembered." Ow, sorry I asked... you're the designated driver tonight, right?"

Ana smiled at hearing that." Yes, indeed. You remembered, Sir?" she questioned.

"Call me Christian... please." he replied, and then the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a smile.

"No! I cannot" She said.

"Yes, you can, Ana" he remarked. "Please... just for tonight?"

"OK, _only_ for tonight." Ana gave in." Christian, I'd like a soda."

"One soda coming up, Ana" he told her and then winked at her." Be right back, OK? Don't go anywhere"

"I won't." She promised.

As Ana sat back on the couch and waited for her soda, her mind drifted off. She had to watch the time, because of her 'situation'.

Ana looked around and noticed how the people at the party were enjoying themselves. She wasn't so fond of parties, not very comfortable to be around so many people. However, she promised Kate and Christian that she would join them. So, that's why she was here at her boss' party.

As her eyes darted towards Christian at the bar, while he ordered their drinks, the corners of her mouth curled upwards into a smile. He was such a gentleman, and was always nice to her.

Ana felt like she understood him as much as he understood her. Why was that though? Ana had no clue.

 _From the first moment that she met Christian, Ana felt an_ _ **instant connection**_ _..._

 _When they shook hands, she felt a connection so strong, like an electric current coursing through her body from her fingers through her heart and to her toes._

 _Ana was taken aback, and as she locked eyes with her new boss, she noticed that he was a bit shocked too. Did he also feel what she felt right then? Ana was almost certain of that._

 _It was very strange in her opinion, but there was no denying it._

 _That connection she felt with Christian was as real as it was unexplainable. To Ana, it felt like she already knew the man. But as far as she could remember, the day she had that job interview with him, was the day she met him for the very first time..._

 _So weird. Then why did she feel like she already knew Christian?! Ana had no single clue._

 _And after that first meeting, she was informed the same day that she was hired._

 _Usually, Christian Grey's employees had to do two more interviews, one with the COO of the company and one with the manager. However, Ana was informed via email that she was hired by Mr. Grey himself._

 _WOW... Ana didn't understand but didn't ask questions about it._

 _Why?_

 _Well, she was happy she got the job. Why ask unnecessary questions. Right?_

 _That happened almost one year ago._

 _Ana's interactions with her boss, was mostly about work. However, in the past months, when they occasionally got a chance to talk about something else than work, their conversations were absolutely deep._

 _During those rare moments, Ana talked to Christian about her life and so did he._

 _She told him things she had never told Kate or her other colleagues._

 _And Gosh... it felt so good, when they had moments like those._

 _Christian had told her about his life before. And Ana also told him about her past._

 _She couldn't for the life of her understand how it was so easy to talk to him._

 _He made her feel safe... and at home. She had that with nobody else, but her boss._

 _Most people didn't understand Ana. That's why it was very rare, him understanding her and vice versa._

 _Did they understand each other so well, because they both had lived difficult lives? Could be..._

 _One evening, Christian had told Ana about his dark past, after a meeting with their biggest client, Hernando Arias._

 _When Christian was five, his parents died in a car accident. After that, he landed in the foster system._

 _He had a horrible childhood, but fortunately when he was 16 he was taken in by a nice couple who didn't have children of their own._

 _Grace and Carrick Grey. He flourished after being adopted by them._

 _He was a troubled kid, but with a lot of patience and love, they molded Christian into the successful billionaire he was today. The Greys had given Christian a second chance in life, and he'd forever be grateful to them... (he tells them every single day)_

 _Ana remember it very clearly, that evening when her boss told her about his past._

 _After confiding in her, Christian all of a sudden gave her a shocked look._

 _"What is it, sir?" Ana had asked._

 _He cleared his throat at hearing that." Uhmmm... I don't know why I told you my story?" He said softly and shook his head." Why?"_

 _"I'm sorry, Mr. Grey" Ana replied._

 _"No, it's OK, Ana... I guess I just feel very comfortable when I'm with you"_

 _Ana almost told him that she felt the same, but luckily she held herself back from saying that to her boss._

 _And Ana? Well, she in return had told Christian her own story._

 _She had an OK childhood, but her mother was a drunk for as long as she could remember._

 _Ana never knew her father. She didn't even know how he looked like. Carla didn't have photos of him. When she was eleven years old, her mom had told Ana that she was a result of a one-night stand._

 _"I don't even remember his name" Carla told her young daughter._

 _It wasn't a horrible life, but Ana just couldn't take it anymore. So, when she got a scholarship and was accepted to a university, Ana packed her bags and left home._

Well, that was the best decision of her life. After leaving home, Ana thrived exponentially.

Her life at the moment was pretty stressful, her job devouring all of her time. She always had to meet deadlines, and she occasionally butted heads with Christian about business deals. But Ana really liked her job.

No, not like... honestly: Ana totally loved it!

During work hours, Ana felt excited, the rush of completing a deal very exhilarating in her opinion. After bringing in the business deal, her whole body buzzed from excitement, her senses on overdrive and that's what she lived for these past twelve months.

A smile was still plastered on her face at the thought, when she was taken out of her thoughts by her boss' voice." Here you go." Christian said and handed her the soda." One cherry cola for you, Ana."

She accepted her drink, and took a sip from it." Thank you, Mr. Gr... I mean, thank you Christian" Ana corrected herself.

"Well, enjoy" he replied, and took a swig from his own drink.

"Boy, I didn't know I was this thirsty up until now." she commented, and kept drinking." Thanks again"

Christian had a glass of whisky in his hand and smiled. "You're welcome, Ana. It's my pleasure" he replied.

He was just about to sit next to her, when Luke called him, beckoning him to get over where he stood in a small group on the other side of the room.

"Go see what he wants, Christian." Ana suggested, and smiled." I'll be fine."

Christian hesitated, and looked at Ana. He observed her face for a few moments, and looked at her questioningly." You sure?" he asked, because he knew she hated parties and huge crowds.

She had told him once about her not being comfortable around too many people.

"I'll be fine, really." Ana replied, and smiled widely, attempting to convince him." They are waiting for you. Go!"

"OK, be right back." He promised and walked over to Sawyer and the others.

In the meantime, Kate walked over to Ana and took a seat next to her.

"Enjoying the party, Ana?" the beauty asked with that sultry voice of hers.

"Uhuh." Ana replied, as her blue eyes darted around the room. She was nervous once more.

Nope. She most definitely wasn't enjoying the party…

 _ **{**_ _ **Approximately two and a half hours later}**_

Ana sat alone on the couch, and threw a quick glance at her watch.

It was almost 11 PM.

It was almost time, so she decided to leave the party after five minutes.

 _Kate had told Ana half an hour ago that she was going to stay till the end of the party... with Sawyer._

 _"Will you stay with us?" Kate had asked, but Ana declined._

 _"No, sweetie... I have an early day tomorrow." she had told her best friend." I've got plans"_

 _"You sure, Ana?"_

 _"I'm sure... I plan on leaving the party soon... you go have fun, OK?" Ana said._

 _And so here she was, waiting for the time._

 _To Ana, the evening had gone by very slowly, because the others— and by the others she meant Kate and Christian, had left her alone. Kate had a good time with Luke and the others, while Christian unexpectedly had a meeting with an important client during the party._

 _He hated it, leaving Ana, but he didn't have much of a choice. The client was going to leave Seattle the next day, because of a death in the family._

 _So, he insisted on having the meeting with Christian at the party._

 _Kate had asked her countless times to join them, but she kept declining._

 _"No, I'm fine here. Just relaxing on this comfortable couch." She had said to Kate and Sawyer with a small smile on her face._

So, yes it was her own fault that she almost went crazy with boredom...

As Ana let out a deep breath, she threw a quick glance at her watch once more.

'Oh- oh. Time for me to go.' She thought, and got up from the couch.

She almost made her way to the exit, when a tall, blond man grabbed Ana's hand and gripped her tightly by her wrist.

"Hey, cutie. Where are you going?" he asked, and tugged her closer, making Ana collide against his chest." Wanna have a good time with me?"

Ana clenched her free hand into a fist and glared at the man. He was drunk! Asshole!

"Let go of me!" She hissed, and in the process scratched the man with her nails, breaking the skin on his cheek. "Pervert!"

The disgusting man yelled and let go of her hand, while cursing at Ana." Bitch!"

It was then, when Ana knew that she had to get out… now! She was well on her way; Ana felt herself turning at this point. That scumbag had forced her to turn earlier than she was used to.( Usually she turned around midnight)

Fuck!

"Ana!" she heard a voice say.

It was Christian. He sounded and looked worried in her opinion. However, she couldn't stay here.

Ana felt herself already turning! As her throat closed up, she felt a sharp pain in her gums, and saw her nails changing. The moon wasn't at its fullest, but her rage towards that blond asshole had triggered the wolf inside of her.

Fuck! She had to bolt... right now!

And just as she was about to leave the room through the exit, Christian grabbed her lightly by her shoulder." Ana? Wait... I can help you." She heard him say.

However, she was already turning and wanted to get the hell out the building. "Get the hell away from me!"

Ana turned around, and glared at Christian with her golden eyes.

Her voice sounded so different, not her usual high tone, but lower… much lower, almost close to a growl.

"Ana?" he said, while observing her." Let me help you... please?"

"No!" She barked at him.

He then carefully took Ana's hand in his." I'm here for you" he told her, while looking at her with loving eyes." I know what you're going through. Let me help."

She locked eyes with him, but it was then when she knew that she couldn't contain the she-wolf any longer.

Ana's greatest fear was hurting innocent people. And God, it seemed like it was gonna happen at this party...

No! She had to prevent it. She did not want to hurt Christian or anyone else. She had to leave to protect Christian!

Ana threw a last glance at him, and roughly tore her hand from his. She stormed out the ballroom, but Christian followed her. He was very worried about Ana.

She ran and ran until she reached the garage on the fourth floor. Ana felt herself turn, and finally let go, because she thought she was alone.

However, Christian had reached the garage also and watched in horror, as Ana turned into something else...

She screamed, while her whole body twisted in an unnatural way, and her claws descended completely.

He heard her bones breaking and kept watching in horror, as her dress tore into pieces, and she had fur over her whole body...

"Why are you turning now?" he uttered, his mouth open, while his gray eyes widened in shock." It isn't time yet"

Christian watched helplessly, not being able to help Ana... fear was clearly in his eyes, and yet he stayed and watched the she-wolf.

She was truly beautiful!

Christian watched in awe, admiring the female werewolf in all her glory… well, it was Ana.

He was indeed afraid, because she was capable of hurting him. The she-wolf Ana, had no control over her actions. _That_ was something Christian knew all too well.

He was afraid, and at the same time he felt his heart jump up from excitement.

He had found her! He had finally found his soulmate...

Instead of wanting to get away from the gorgeous creature, he desperately was drawn to her.

The pull she had on him was undeniably strong...

'She's so beautiful.' Was what bounced inside his skull, as his lips curled upwards into a small smile.

He was just about to go near the beautiful creature, when she ran away. But before fleeing, Christian noticed how Ana looked at him with those pretty golden eyes of hers…

He followed her of course, and they ended up on the other side of the building.

She-wolf Ana, was in an empty office, and so was Christian.

"Ana?" He said and looked lovingly at her." It's me... your soulmate. I've been searching for you all my life..."

She turned her head, and as their eyes met, Christian felt his heart explode inside his chest for the gorgeous she-wolf.

"Ana... don't be afraid. I'll never hurt you..." he uttered, but got interrupted by a loud noise.

Someone stumbled upon a couple of chairs and a desk.

Christian turned his head and came face to face with his best friend Luke.

"Oh my God!" He heard Luke shout." Christian, buddy... what the fuck is that, man?! Is that a freaking werewolf?!"

"Sawyer, please calm down... you will scare her." Christian said softly, not wanting to startle the beautiful she-wolf.

Luke's eyes widened at hearing that." I will scare it?! What are you talking about, man?! That thing is scary. Not me!" He replied, and grabbed his phone.

"What are you doing, Sawyer?" Christian then asked.

"Calling your security detail..." Luke answered, and then he talked to the person on the other side of the line." Taylor, will you please assist your boss and me? We're in Ros Bailey's office and we're in grave danger!"

"Sawyer, don't!" Christian warned, and wanted to grab the phone from Luke, but he was fast and swiftly dodged him.

"Taylor... come here with your best men. Now! I never believed they existed, but one is staring right at me" Christian heard Luke say, as the she-wolf glared, and snarled at his best friend.

She was also scratching the office floor with her long claws, and at one point leaped at Sawyer.

Sawyer was terrified!

"Christian, we have to run!" He shouted and stormed out of Ros Bailey's office.

The moment Luke was out of earshot, Christian walked towards Ana, the she-wolf.

"Why have you turned so early?" He whispered and stood right in front of her, unafraid.

Ana stared up at him, and when he boldly petted her over her back, Christian heard her make a purring-like sound.

God... he was so happy that she allowed him to touch her.

Then Christian said." You have to go, Ana... Taylor is on his way with extra men and guns... please go? It's for your own safety."

It was like she understood every single word. She looked up at him one last time, and then she swiftly jumped out one of the office windows.

Someone else would've died at the impact, but Christian wasn't worried at all.

He walked with huge strides towards the window, and saw that the female werewolf sprinted away and disappeared into the park.

It was almost time, so Christian calmly stepped into his private elevator and waited as the minutes passed.

While he went down with the elevator, his eyes were fixed on the clock.

23:51... 23:53... 23:55... 23:56.

The elevator stopped, and the door slid open. He then stepped out of it, and while he walked into the secret tunnel underneath his building that ended up at the park, Christian felt it coming.

After a few minutes, he noticed that he was close... He could already smell the trees in the park.

At one point he hunched down and waited for the last seconds...

As a sigh escaped his lips, Christian heard a beeping sound.

It was time... he threw a quick glance at his watch and saw that it was exactly midnight.

Christian got up and took off his suit jacket, threw it on the floor and began unbuttoning his dress shirt.

"You can run, but you can't hide from me, beautiful creature." Christian whispered, while a smile graced his handsome face." You are my soulmate"

As he thought about meeting Ana in her werewolf form once more, his heart pounded wildly against his chest, all of his senses on overdrive...

Christian was one hundred percent certain that he'll meet Ana again tonight. Well, of course he will... cause he'll search for Ana in _his_ _ **werewolf**_ form till he has found her.

'Oh, yes... this night will surely be the best night of my life!'

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, you all.**


	9. Chapter 9: Thank You

**Our Supernatural Days of Fifty Challenge is officially over.**

.

We at the **Playroom of the FSoG Sisterhood FB group** would like to thank each of our participants:

* * *

AUTHOR 1: THE MANEATER **lisanomoreguest**

AUTHOR 2: THE WOOD FAIRY **Mrs Caron**

AUTHOR 3: INTO THE NIGHT **Madison0705**

AUTHOR 4: A FAIRY'S TALE **rapunzelclayre**

AUTHOR 5: FOREVER FAIRY **damoranclan**

AUTHOR 6: THE LONELY SAGE AND THE MAD GARDENER **Don't Trust Your Eyes**

AUTHOR 7: AN INSTANT CONNECTION **dream2bawrtr**

* * *

 **You ladies did an outstanding job and we loved every word of it.**

We would also like to thank all of you _**READERS**_ for your support. As always, thank you for reading, favoriting, and reviewing. Your support is always very much appreciated.


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